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2011 Census

Although two thirds of Germany’s population were not questioned in the 2011 Census, the whole population is covered by it. How does that work? Here you can read more about the census methodology and history and about censuses conducted in other countries.

Several millions of data records will be evaluated by 2013 to obtain current data on how people live and work in Germany. The 2011 Census is the main large-scale project of the statistical offices of the Federation and the Länder, which co-operate closely with the survey offices of the municipalities. The population is counted everywhere in Germany, although not all inhabitants were questioned on the census reference day of 9 May 2011. That works because a new approach has been used which, among other things, relies on registers of administrative authorities (like the residents’ registration offices). In this way, the burden on the population has been reduced.

The 2011 Census in Germany is part of an EU-wide census round that will be repeated every ten years. The United Nations (UN), too, recommend counting the population at ten-year intervals. At the international level, almost all countries have followed that recommendation. Only seven of 235 countries and areas that are covered by the UN statistics have not yet fixed a census date for the current decade. However, reliable data are a prerequisite for making plans for tomorrow.

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