What are the Census
Population and Housing Censuses – CENSUS – are the largest statistical operations carried out in any country in the world; they are designed to obtain information on the entire resident population, households, and housing stock.
According to the United Nations (UN), Censuses are among the most complex and massive exercises that a nation undertakes. They require the mapping of the entire territory, the mobilisation and training of many professionals, the carrying out of a vast public campaign, the adherence of the entire population, the collection of individual information, the compilation of large quantities of information and the analysis and dissemination of a huge amount of data.
Censuses are part of a national statistical system, which may include other censuses (e.g. agriculture), surveys, registers and administrative archives. They provide, at regular time intervals, the reference value of population counts at national and local level. For small geographical areas or sub-populations, they may be the only source of information for a wide range of demographic, socio-economic and housing characteristics.
The UN Principles and Recommendations understand Censuses as standardised processes of data collection, processing, evaluation, analysis, and dissemination, referenced to a specific point in time and concerning all statistical units (individuals, households, dwellings and buildings) within a well-defined geographical area, usually the country.
What are they for?
Get to know what the Census is about and how it evolved in Portugal and around the World
Welcome to the Census 2021
An effective and convenient Census for the entire population.
Legislation Confidentiality
Get acquainted with the national and international legislation about the Census.
Accordingly, these recommendations refer to five basic principles:
Individualised census: Census imply that each statistical unit is enumerated individually, and its characteristics are recorded separately;
Universality within a defined territory: Census should cover a precise territory, in this case, the entire country. The population Census should include all individuals present and resident in the country and the housing Census should include all buildings and dwellings intended for habitation, regardless of their type;
Simultaneity: as far as possible, each statistical unit should be enumerated at the same reference time;
Defined periodicity: Census should be conducted at regular time intervals so that information can be comparable;
Data availability for small statistical areas. Census should produce data on population and housing numbers and characteristics for the most disaggregated geographical level and for small population groups, while protecting the confidentiality of individual information.
To date, fifteen population censuses and five housing censuses have been conducted in Portugal, according to international recommendations, which began in 1853.
The first simultaneous census of both types of census (population and housing) took place in 1970.
The next Census will be held in 2021:
XVI General Population Census and VI General Housing Census
Becoming familiar with Statistics Portugal’s website
Access the data and findings of the previous Census and keep informed about the most recent studies on, for example, employment, migrations, the national GDP, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
2011 Census
Get to know all about the population, households, and housing portraited by the last Census conducted in Portugal.
