menage - Millennium Development Goals Indicators

Table 2Table 2 presents for each country of the world, the latest populationestimate, population growth rate, and area. Specifically it shows thetotal, male and female population according to the latest census ofpopulation; the 1963 39 and 1968 estimates of total population; a coderepresenting the method of constructing the 1968 estimate; the averageannual per cent rate of population increase (or decrease) between1963 and 1968 and the geographic area and population density as of1968.In accordance with the policy for the Demographic Yearbook,countries are grouped by continents, with Africa appearing first,followed by America, North; America, South; Asia; Europe; andOceania; the USSR is listed last, since it is partly in Europe and partlyin Asia. However, in this table alone, countries are further classified assovereign and non-sovereign and they are listed in English alphabeticalorder within these two major categories. The administering authority ofnon -sovereign countries is indicated in brackets following the countryname.Census Data: In so far as possible the figures presented in thecensus columns of table 2 are the results of the latest nation-widecensus of popuiation 40 If a census has never been taken, however,they are an estimate of the population, based on the results of a recentsample survey which is substantially national in character. Results ofsurveys covering less than 50 per cent of the total territory or populationare not included.Estimates: Except as described in the next paragraph, estimatesare official figures which are consistent with the results of nationalcensuses or sample surveys taken in the period. This means that ifinexplicable discontinuities appeared to exist, the estimates have beenofficially revised to accord with the results of a census or survey ofpopulation, and they thus form part of a consistent time series. Theyrefer to the midyear, i.e., to the population at 1 July of the relevant yearor to the mean of the two proximate end-year estimates. No distinctionis made between these two types of mid-year estimates, on theassumption that the difference is negligible.When an acceptable official mid-year estimate of population asdefined above was not available, a United Nations midyear estimate,identified by the superscript "x", has been used. These United Nationsestimates take into account available information on the reliability ofcensus and survey results, natural increase, the possibility of migratorymovement substantial enough to affect the pre-and post-censal estimates,and so forth.The policy of utilizing United Nations estimates is designed toproduce comparable midyear estimates of population for 1963 and1968 which are not only in accord with census and survey resultsshown adjacent but also with estimates for prio' years shown in table4. Unrevised official estimates as well as results of censuses or surveysand estimates for dates other than the midyear have been eliminated infavour of the United Nations consistent midyear estimates. This alsomakes possible the computation of rates of population changebetween 1963 and 1968 for almost every country in the world,whereas without them rates for many countries could not be calculatedbecause of the apparent lack of comparability between the two officialestimates concerned.Code: The type-of-estimate code, the construction of which wasdescribed in detail on p. 9, is included in this table. Together withinformation on underenumeration, the code furnishes the basis for afairly precise evaluation of the 1968 estimates of population-whereverthey appear-and it may also be assumed to apply, less precisely,to the estimates for 1963. On the basis of this assumption and otheravailable information, estimates for both years have been classified asreliable or of questionable reliability and they have been set in romanor italic type as described below.The code has been omitted where the estimate for a country was acomposite, resulting from summation of estimates for component partswhich themselves were constructed by varying methods. Where thecode is considered "not applicable" the fact is Indicated by one dot (.)Although codes are shown for all 1968 estimates other than thecomposites, it should be emphasized that, as an assessment of the39 This is the new base year for computing economic indexes adopted in1967; it thus replaces 1958 wherever that year has previously been used as abase.40 For definition of a census, see Principles and Recommendations for the7970 Population Censuses (United Nations publication, Sales No. 67.xVII.3),paras. 7 and 8presumed reliability of some of the small populations, the codes arequite inadequate. This is so because some small populations areestimated by methods not easily classifiable by the present scheme,and others are disproportionately affected by the frequent arrival anddeparture of migrants, visitors, etc., with consequent relatively largevariations between de facto and de jure population.Type fonts: In order clearly to distinguish the quality of figurespresented, three different styles of type are employed for 1963 and1968 estimates of population and for the average annual rate ofincrease, viz: estimates considered to be reliable and rates based onthem are set in the usual roman type; estimates and rates considered tobe less reliable are set in italics; the results of censuses which weretaken 30 June or 1 July and which are, therefore, the midyearestimates, are shown in bold face roman for easy identification.Area: The area figures, given in square kilometres, relate to thetotal area of the specified geographic units, including inland water aswell as such uninhabited or uninhabitable stretches of land as may liewithin the boundaries. Wholly uninhabited areas, such as the polarregions and a few small islands, are usually excluded from the statistics.All area estimates are official but those reported in square miles havebeen converted to square kilometres, using the factor 2.589988.Coverage: Table 2 includes data for over 220 separate countries,that is, every sovereign and non-sovereign country in the world whichhad at least 50 inhabitants in 1968. The stub of this table is, therefore,the most comprehensive in the Deomgraphic Yearbook.Computation:Rate of increase is the average annual per cent rate of change inpopulation size between 1963 and 1968 computed from data in thetable, using the following formula;r = (~ - 1 ) X 100where Po is the population in 1960 or in 1963,PI is the population in 1968,I is 5 (vears het\1wn 1963 and /968)r is the annual per cent rate ofchangl'.Although population estimates in table 2 appear only in thousands,figures in unit digits were used for the computation whenever possible,and rates were computed to two deCimals and rounded to one forpublication,Rates were not computed where the 1963 estimate in thousandsappeared to be identical with the 1968 estimate, even though thefigures in units probably differed slightly. In these cases, a symbol ofone dot (.) was used to signify that a rate was not applicable under thecircumstances.Density is the number of persons in the 1968 total population persquare kilometre of total area. Where two area figures are given-forexample, one for the area within administrative boundaries andanother for habitable land-the habitable area has been taken as thebase for the density computation.Limitations: The population data given in table 2 are subject to thelimitations of population statistics in general, namely, variations indefinitions and tabulation methods, deficiencies in completeness ofthe basic count and differences in the method of constructingestimates-all of which were discussed on pp. 7-10. To assist inassessing comparability, the degree of underenumeration in thepopulation census, or a description of the population covered by asample survey, has been given when known.The reliability of the estimates may be ascertained by reference tothe type-of-estimate code and to the type-face in which the figures areset, Moreover, the policy of replacing out-of-line estimates andscattered census results, by an internally consistent series of midyearestimates constructed by the United Nations should increase comparability.Per cent rates of population growth are subject to all the qualificationsof the basic population figures mentioned above. In some cases,they admittedly reflect simply the rate calculated or assumed in constructingthe estimates themselves when adequate measures of naturaland migratory increase were not available 4 ' For small populations, an417956 Demographic Yearbook, p. 13.18