The Second International Workshop on Economic Census
6-9 July 2009, Seoul, Korea
 I.
UNSD work programme on Economic Census
 II.
The First International Workshop on Economic
Census - 26-29 July 2005, Beijing, China
 III.
 IV.
2006 UNSD Survey on Economic Census
An overview of the participants responses to
the UNSD Questionnaire on Economic Census
I. UNSD work programme on Economic
Census


Part of a broader programme on
strengthening countries’ capacity in
compilation of basic economic statistics
37th session of the UN Statistical Commission
in 2006
Endorsed the UNSD initiative to promote an
integrated approach to compilation of economic
statistics
Recommended that good practices should be
identified, documented and made available to
countries to assist in their practical work

The workshop aimed to evaluate the potential of EC
and concluded that EC is an important statistical
activity in:
 Providing countries with comprehensive and detailed
information about the structure of their economy
 Providing the information needed to establish/maintain a
country’s survey frame and business register
 Providing the necessary tool for collecting data and
compiling national accounts
 Obtaining the necessary details and coverage in areas of
special interest
 Establishing the statistical foundation for continuing
economic analysis by policymakers and the business
community
 Criteria
census
for the success of an economic
Careful preparation of the census in terms of securing
legal, financial and administrative support
Well articulated and explicitly related to user needs
purpose
Census results publicized in a timely manner
Promoting public awareness of the census results and
their use

Challenges
 High-cost and fast-aging results in a rapidly changing
economy
 Might be more suitable for:
 Developing economies making efforts to update their survey frame
and/or to start up a business register
 Developed economies, with a large number of big enterprises and a
good system for using administrative records

Advised that further elaboration is required on:
 Content of the economic census (list and definitions of
economic and financial variables)
 Terminology standardization
 Effective approaches for using results of economic censuses
and surveys


Collected information about countries’ general
policies with regard to economic census and
other approaches to compilation of basic
economic statistics
Some results from the survey
 114 countries responded
 Countries conducting EC worldwide - 34.2%
 Of which developing countries – 49.2%
 Countries having plans to conduct an EC in the future – 48.2%
 Of which developing countries – 66.7%

Economic census as an approach to
compilation of basic economic statistics
Survey confirmed that the EC is still an important
statistical activity
Practices regarding the organization of an economic
census vary significantly among countries and show a
lack of unified approach
 Different scope
 Different definitions
 Different terminology
Tendency of improved timeliness of the conducted
economic censuses

Organizational details of economic census
Periodicity – Economic censuses conducted every five
years prevail – 56.4%
Scope
 Agriculture and Public Administration – excluded
 Other individual activities excluded – vary by country
Coverage
 46.2% percent of countries apply a threshold in respect of
units inclusion
 Sample surveys and administrative data – the most
common approaches for covering units below the
threshold

Questionnaire
 Designed to provide an overview of the current practice
of countries participating in the workshop in the
organization and conduct of economic census
 Detailed practices – in country presentations and reports

All 19 participating countries responded

Aggregated results
 Based on responses of 17 countries
 Russia planned his first census of medium and small
enterprises for 2011
 Hong Kong moved away from the practice of conducting
economic censuses

Countries start preparations for each economic
census well in advance

Legal basis
Adequate – in all but one country there are legal
provisions governing the conduct of Economic Census
Statistical Law – the legal basis for three quarters of
participating countries
Other forms of legislation – Census Act, Executive
order, etc.

Coordination of Economic Census activities
Different forms of a coordination body for the
organization of economic censuses established in 82%
of countries - Working groups, technical and steering
committees, etc.

Periodicity
Economic censuses conducted every 5 years – current
practice in a half of participating countries – 2006
results confirmed
Censuses conducted at infrequent intervals of time –
mainly due to budget constraints, observed in a
limited number of countries
Most recent round of censuses – 2006-2008
Next round of censuses – 2011-2013
 Economic
Census - defined as an economywide census in 76% of countries
 Remaining
24% of countries conduct
censuses for an individual sector or activity
Agricultural activities – excluded, subject to separate
Agricultural censuses
Public administration units – not covered by 60% of
countries
Other activities/units – vary by country

Statistical unit
Establishment – 95% of countries
Establishment in combination with enterprise, or
enterprise in combination with local unit

Lack of unified approach regarding use of
threshold in economic censuses
If exists, it is defined in terms of employment
Units below the threshold covered by a variety of
approaches – sample surveys, ADS, population census,
etc.

Data items
 Economic census collects both operating characteristics and
set of economic data about units
 Labour cost and capital expenditures covered to a lesser
extent

Major innovations
 Improved questionnaire form – 65% of countries
 Other improvements – electronic reporting, ADS, new data
processing technology

Quality assurance frameworks
 Development of QAFs – receives an increased attention
 82% of countries have implemented different forms of QAFs
Census awareness campaigns – carried out in
all but one country
 By order of importance the campaigns
include:

Publicity in the form of press releases
Organization of Economic census conferences with
users and respondents
Design of Economic census website
Special large company programmes
Other – radio and TV spots, banners in the Internet,
etc.

Forms of dissemination of census results
 Printed publications – traditional form used by all
countries
 Electronic forms and web access – widely used
 Metadata supplementing census results – disseminated
by 65% of countries

Series of census data
 Economy wide and regional aggregates – disseminated by
majority of countries
 Countries conducting censuses for an activity or a sector
publish mainly industry series


The workshop findings and conclusions will
help UNSD to improve its work programme
on economic census
Proceedings of the workshop will provide the
basis for the preparation of the future UNSD
Handbook on Challenges and Good Practices
in Economic Census to assist countries in
further strengthening their national
programmes of economic statistics
Thank You