Statistical Centre of Iran > Statistics by Topic > Population

 
 

Definitions & Concepts

 

 

History of production of population data

 History of data production on population in Iran dates back to Gajar period when some discontinuous efforts were made often on ah hoc basis in 1297 the civil Registration Department was established to register  the four vital events.

 By the approval of a statute in 1303, the responsibility of collection of required information was entrusted to the Ministry of the Interior. Under going several changes in 1307, the statue was legally approved by the former National Consultative Assembly and Civil Registration Department was renamed  "General Department of Statistics and Registration". The Department has continued its legal duties since 1349 under the revised title of "National Organization for Civil Registration".

 Approval of the first Census act by the National Consultative Assembly in 1318 led to the implementation of the first population census in Tehran in the month of Esfand of the same year and in 33 more cities during the years 1319 and 1320. The project was delayed because of the 1320 political events. In Esfand 1331, the general Statistics Cooperation Organization was formed and in Farvardin 1332, the census and Statistics Act was approved. In the same year, after detaching from the General Department of Statistics and Registration and joining the General Statistics Cooperation Organization, the Department of Census and Statistics undertook the responsibility of data collection exclusively. This Organization was renamed the "General Department of Public statistics" affiliated to the Ministry of the Interior in 1334 and conducted the first National Census of Population and Housing in 1335. The increasing need of planning organizations for information and statistics as well as the need for a close cooperation between the main data producing organization and planning organizations led to the detachment of the General Department of Public Statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and its affiliation to the plan and budget organization under the title of the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) in 1344. As its first major activity, The SCI conducted a National Census of Population and Housing in 1345. The establishment  act of the SCI was revised in 1353 and current Act of the SCI was approved afterwards.

 The 1345 census enjoys some features which distinguish in from the previous. The 1385 Census is the first national census in which the method "census mixed with sampling" was used. The other feature of the 1385 census is to use Intelligent Character Recognition System which allows direct capture of images from questionnaires and translation of images into data in data processing of the census.

 Statistical items

 ·        Census in 1335- 1385

 Number of population, number of households, private unsettled households, religion, citizenship, employed population, by major industry groups, unemployed population. Education level, literacy status, number of housing units and the facilities in housing unit, type of tenure of housing unit, by total country provinces and sub-provinces and urban and rural areas.

 ·        The census of tribal households socio-economic characteristics

 Number of tribal population and households in the summer and winter quarters at total country level, provinces and rural agglomeration.

 ·        Vital events (marriage, divorce, birth and death)

 ·        Population Estimates

 ·        Migrations

 ·        Fertility

 Major surveys and censuses  conducted

Organizer

Implementation method

Type of activity, survey or census

Implementation year

-

-

The first general census act

1318

Ministry of the interior general dept of public statistics

Census

First general census

1335

SCI

Census

Second general census of population & housing

1345

SCI

Census

Third general census of population & housing

1355

SCI

Census

Fourth general census of population & housing after Islamic revolution

1365

SCI

Census

Census of tribal households socio-economic characteristics

1366

SCI

Sample household

Results of the households socio-economic characteristics survey

1366-68

SCI

Sample household

Results of the households socio-economic characteristics survey

1371-74

SCI

Sample household

The  households socio-economic characteristics survey

1380-82

SCI

Census with sampling

Current population survey

1370

SCI

Census

Fifth general census of population & housing

1375

SCI

Census

Census of tribal households socio-economic characteristics

1377

SCI

Census with sampling

Six general census of population & housing

1385

SCI

Census

Census of tribal households socio-economic characteristics

1387

Population (under enumeration): members of all private settled households, institutional and collective, whose usual place of residence is located in Iran at the time of enumeration, as well as members of all private unsettled households. Foreign delegations, diplomatic corps and their families are excluded.  However, Iranian delegations and members of Iranian diplomatic corps and their families at Iranian embassies in foreign countries are included in the population under enumeration.
Private household: persons living together in one residence, sharing their living expenses and eating together constitute a household. A person living alone also forms a private household.
Private settled household: a household living in a permanent residence which was made from hard materials, fixed tent, hut, straw hut, etc.
Private unsettled household: a household not living in a permanent residence at the time of enumeration. This group of households includes three types:
1. households either moving from one area to  another or living under tents outside cities  and villages; 
2. households that do not live in a permanent place and change their living place continually, such as gypsies;
 3. households that do not live in a specific place and usually pass the night at parks, in ruined places, under bridges, etc.
Institutional household:  persons who share   a common objective or characteristics living together in an institution which is responsible for their accommodation, (residential place with services and facilities) according to permission or specific regulations. Examples of institutional households are: barracks, garrisons, student dormitories (excluding those for married students) managed by universities, asylums, etc.  
Collective household: persons who live together because of having common conditions (mainly common characteristics) and manage life affairs together. 
City (urban area): every geographical area with a municipality.
 In censuses before 1365, all Shahrestan centres (irrespective of their population size) and places with a population of 5000 persons and more were considered as city.
Village (rural area): one or more contiguous places and lands (agricultural or non-agricultural) located outside city borders and having independent registered or conventional boundaries. Any village inhabited by one or more households at the time of enumeration is considered as an "inhabited village", otherwise, it is considered an "uninhabited village".
Population  settled in urban areas: population settled in urban areas in any administrative division of Bakhsh, Shahrestan, Ostan or country, is the population of all cities located in the division concerned; and the population of each city is the total number of all private settled, institutional and collective household members whose usual place of residence is located in that city at the time of enumeration. 
Population settled in rural areas: population settled in rural areas in any administrative division of Dehestan, Bakhsh, Shahrestan, Ostan or country, is the population of all villages located in the division concerned; and the population of each village is the total number of all private settled, institutional and collective household members whose usual place of residence is located in that village at the time of enumeration. 
Unsettled population: unsettled population in any administrative division of  Shahrestan, Ostan or country, is  the population of  all private unsettled households who were enumerated in the division concerned.
Head of Household:  A    member    of     the household who is acknowledged the head, by the other household members. It is noteworthy that the head is responsible for bearing all or major part of household expenditures or make decision on how the household incomes should be spent.
The head is not necessarily the oldest member of the household, but can be a male or female member who is usually more than 10 years old. It is obvious that in one-person households, the only member of the household is considered the household head. 
Age: the number of completed years since the date of birth. 
Mean age: average age of the population.
Median age: the age which divides the population into two equal groups in number.

Statistical Survey