STATISTICS SWEDEN
Population and welfare department
Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
BE0102
1(20)
The Total Population Register
The population as at 31 December 2011
BE0102
This description first provides administrative and legal information about the
register as well as its purpose and historical background. The content and
accuracy of the register are then described, followed by how the survey is
carried out and how the results are made available. The last chapter describes
measurement, data collection and processing. By clicking on a heading on the
contents page, you can move directly to the relevant section.
Contents
Document1
A
General information.....................................................................................2
A.1
Subject area ............................................................................................2
A.2
Statistical area .......................................................................................2
A.3
Statistical agency responsible for the register .......................................2
A.4
External suppliers of administrative data ..............................................2
A.5
Obligation to provide information .........................................................2
A.6
Confidentiality and rules for handling personal information ................3
A.7
Removal and archiving regulations .......................................................3
A.8
EU regulations .......................................................................................3
A.9
Objectives and background ....................................................................3
A.10 Use of the statistics.................................................................................4
A.11 Design and implementation....................................................................5
A.12 Planned modifications in future registers ..............................................5
B
Quality declaration.......................................................................................6
B.0
Introduction ............................................................................................6
0.1 Modifications in the relevant register ..................................................7
B.1
Contents..................................................................................................7
1.1
Statistical target parameters ...............................................................7
1.1.1 Objects and population ...................................................................7
1.1.2 Variables ........................................................................................9
1.1.3 Reference times ............................................................................10
1.2.
Comprehensiveness ..........................................................................11
B.2
Accuracy ...............................................................................................11
2.1
Overall accuracy...............................................................................11
2.1.1 Specification errors ......................................................................11
2.2
Sources of inaccuracy ......................................................................13
2.2.1 Coverage ......................................................................................13
2.2.2 Measurement ................................................................................15
2.2.3 Non-response................................................................................16
2.2.4 Data processing ............................................................................16
2.2.5 Model assumptions.......................................................................16
B.3
Timeliness .............................................................................................16
3.1
Frequency .........................................................................................16
3.2
Production times...............................................................................16
3.3
Punctuality........................................................................................16
STATISTICS SWEDEN
Population and welfare department
Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
BE0102
2(20)
B.4
Comparability and Coherence .............................................................17
4.1
Comparability over time ..................................................................17
4.1.1 Comparisons at the micro level over time ....................................18
4.2
Comparability between domains ......................................................19
4.2.1 Comparisons within the same register ........................................19
4.3
Coherence with other registers/data .................................................19
B.5
Accessibility and Clarity ......................................................................19
5.1
Presentation ......................................................................................19
5.2
Documentation .................................................................................19
5.3
Access to the final observation register ...........................................19
A
General information
A.1
Subject area
Subject area: Population
A.2
Statistical area
Statistical area: Population composition
A.3
Statistical agency responsible for the register
Contact person: Karin Wegfors
Telephone: +46 19 176 498
E-mail: karin.wegfors@scb.se
A.4
External suppliers of administrative data
Government agency/organisation
Swedish Tax Agency
A.5
Type of data
National population
register data, data on
individuals
Obligation to provide information
The obligation to provide information in accordance with the Official Statistics
Ordinance (2001:100) means that government agencies must submit information
required for the production of statistics.
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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Laws and ordinances regulate the population register contents and
notifications to Statistics Sweden:
Population Registration Act (1991:481)
National Registration Ordinance (1991:749)
The Personal Data Act (2001:182) on the processing of personal data in
the Swedish Tax Agency's population registration activities
Ordinance (2001:589) on the processing of personal data in the Swedish
Tax Agency's population registration activities
Ordinance (2007:762) with directives for Statistics Sweden
A.6
Confidentiality and rules for handling personal information
For confidentiality regarding the authority's specific task for the production of
statistics, Chapter 24 Section 8 of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy
Act (2009:400) applies. For the automatic handling of personal information, the
rules in the Personal Data Act (1998:204) apply. Within the area of statistics,
there are also specific rules on the handling of personal data in the Official
Statistics Act (2001:99) and the Official Statistics Ordinance (2001:100).
A.7
Removal and archiving regulations
Information is not removed from the Total Population Register; instead it is
permanently archived in accordance with the preservation decision of the
National Archives. Currently, all annual records up to 1997 have been permanently archived.
A.8
EU regulations
There are no EU regulations for the Total Population Register.
A.9
Objectives and background
The Total Population Register contains data that are essential for information
about Sweden's population. The system includes registers that are the bases for
official population statistics and provide basic data for large parts of Statistics
Sweden's operations.
The Total Population Register was created in 1968.
Population registration was computerised in 1967, and in the following year
Statistics Sweden used the population register to establish a register system
named the Total Population Register. The Total Population Register contains
information about the population and its changes, and to a large extent reflects
the content of the population register.
The Total Population Register is available for every year from 1968 onwards.
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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Changes in the population are reported regularly
The Swedish Tax Agency is the agency with overall responsibility for population
registration. Information (notifications) on changes in population registration is
reported five times a week from the Swedish Tax Agency via SHS (a joint
method used by agencies to send data to each other). Until 1998, notifications
were delivered once a week on magnetic tape. Notifications contain, for example, data on births, deaths, migrations, changes of address, marital status
changes, immigration and emigration, etc.
1998: A changed Total Population Register system with more variables
The Total Population Register has largely the same content of variables as when
it started in 1968. A new Total Population Register system was launched in 1998
and introduced a number of new variables, including dates for all events and
improved information about relationships between people.
Population registration based on dwelling unit
Previously, a person was registered in relation to a building, but when Parliament
decided that the 2011 population and housing census would be based entirely on
registers, the Population Registration Act was amended so that a person would
be registered instead in relation to a dwelling unit. Beginning 2011, the Total
Population Register receives notifications of dwelling unit numbers and the
identities at the dwelling unit, address and building. These variables will be used
for reporting the population and housing census and then for the annual household and housing statistics.
A.10
Use of the statistics
Internal use
Registers in the Total Population Register system are used internally at Statistics
Sweden as a basis for the production of statistics, sampling frames and data
sources for other registers and surveys.
The Total Population Register is the basis of the official population statistics.
Examples of population statistics include population by sex, age, marital status
etc. in counties, municipalities, parishes and other regional areas. Statistics on
population changes may relate to internal migration, number of births, deaths,
marriages, divorces, immigration and emigration, etc. The statistics are produced
several times per year.
The Total Population Register serves as a sample frame for many samples of
individuals at Statistics Sweden. The samples are made for both appropriation
and commissioned operations and are mainly used for different types of questionnaire and interview surveys. Some of the more famous surveys are the
Labour Force Survey, surveys of household expenditures, political party
preference surveys, and surveys on living conditions.
The Total Population Register is a database which can supply supplementary
data to other registers and surveys. This usage enables a reduction in the number
of questions in a survey, which reduces the burden on respondents.
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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For example, the Total Population Register provides:
- background data for the registers of labour market statistics, economic
welfare statistics and education statistics,
- the basis for the coordination of register populations and surveys within
statistics on individuals
- data for statistical packages and for the statistical basis of population
projections,
- procedures for updating data in samples for questionnaires and interview
surveys,
- data for completeness checks and supplementation of civic registration
numbers in different material,
- data for authentication in connection with the request of extracts of registers in accordance with the Personal Data Act.
External use
The external use is mainly within the context of commissioned activities. Data in
the Total Population Register are requested by researchers, companies, government agencies, municipalities, counties, county councils, Parliament, the
government, associations, individuals, etc. Anonymised microdata from the Total
Population Register can be supplied to researchers following a secrecy clearance.
A.11
Design and implementation
The production of the Total Population Register consists of the collection and
processing of data from the Swedish Tax Agency to the final observation
register. The Swedish Tax Agency delivers data five times a week via Navnet,
which is the Swedish Tax Agency's system for the distribution of population data
to society. Input data are checked and entered into the Total Population Register
system. Monthly output data are produced in the form of a number of registers.
The registers are reviewed in cooperation with the unit for population statistics.
A.12
Planned modifications in future registers
Future annual household and housing statistics will place new demands on what
the Total Population Register should contain; objects, variables, derivatives, etc.
This work begins in 2013.
Document1
STATISTICS SWEDEN
Population and welfare department
Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
B
Quality declaration
B.0
Introduction
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Statistics Sweden describes the quality of surveys according to a quality concept
consisting of five main components:
Contents
This section describes the register contents to show how well the register
meets external requirements.
Accuracy
The information in this section describes the extent of the accuracy of the
register. In order to structure the information, different sources of inaccuracy
are treated that have an impact on register quality. What the agency does to
minimise these inaccuracies is also discussed.
Timeliness and Punctuality
This section provides information about the time interval between the publication of the register and the register's reference dates as well as publishing
frequency and how well the publication plan has been followed.
Comparability and Coherence
This section deals with various aspects affecting register comparability over
time and between groups, as well as possibilities of using the register together with other registers.
Accessibility and Clarity
This section indicates the channels where the register is available. Information is also provided on how to gain access to the register's documentation. Other references are also provided here to studies, manuals, etc. that are
relevant for the interpretation of the results and the accuracy of the registers.
For more information on the concept of quality of official statistics and a more
detailed account of the meaning of the five main components, see the report
Quality definition and recommendations for quality declarations of official
statistics (MIS2001: 1) in the series Meddelande i samordningsfrågor för
Sveriges officiella statistik. The publication is available on Statistics Sweden's
website.
http://www.scb.se/Grupp/Hitta_statistik/Forsta_Statistik/Metod/_Dokument/MIS
2001_1.pdf
This quality declaration refers to the Total Population Register as at 31 December 2011.
Document1
STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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0.1 Modifications in the relevant register
Variable
Table 1. New variables
Column name
Value set
Resident country
Boendeland_EU
Resident region
NUTS2_EU
Country of
citizenship
Civil status
MedblandGrupp_EU
Country of birth
FodelselandGrupp_EU
Degree of
urbanisation
Age
Urbaniseringsgrad_EU
Variable
CivilGrupp_EU
Alder_EU
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Described in
MetaPlus
Table 2. Modified variables
Column name
Value set
Definition
EU core variable
Input data/Output data
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
EU core variable
Output data
Definition
Input data/Output
data
No modified variables found in the year's register.
Variable
Table 3. Removed variables
Column name
Definition
Input data/Output data
No removed variables were found in the year's register.
B.1
Contents
1.1
Statistical target parameters
1.1.1
Objects and population
For the register referring to the population as at 31 December 2011, the population consists of those persons who, according to the laws, ordinances and other
regulations that apply for the population register, are registered in Sweden at that
time. The object in the register is individuals.
The population register
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
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A person is entered into the population register at the property where they reside.
If the property contains multiple dwelling units, the person may also be registered at the dwelling unit or apartment. Dwelling unit refers to the dwelling that
is registered in the apartment register according to the Swedish Apartment
Register Act (2006:378)
According to the main rule on the ordinance for the population register, a person
shall be defined as residing at the property where they regularly spend their
leisure and weekend time. Should uncertainty arise, due consideration shall be
given to where the person's work and family are situated. A newborn child, born
in Sweden, shall be registered in the parish where the mother was registered at
the time of birth. If the mother was not registered at the time of birth, the child
can only be registered if the father was registered and is the child's guardian. A
newborn child, born abroad, is only registered if the mother was registered at the
time of birth.
Exceptions from the main rule
Some important exceptions from the main rule can be divided into three groups:
1. Persons registered in Sweden but not residing in Sweden
2. Persons who live in Sweden but are not registered in Sweden
3. Persons registered at a different property than the one where they reside
People in group 1 are included in the Total Population Register while those in
group 2 are not. People in group 3 are included in the Total Population Register
but may at a regional breakdown be part of a different regional area than the one
where they reside.
1. Persons registered in Sweden but not residing in Sweden
Persons who are employed abroad in the service of the government, mainly
through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), are registered in Sweden. This also applies to
family members and Swedish service staff. Persons continue to be in the registry
in the parish from which their migration occurred. The rules do not apply to
persons who are employed abroad by international organisations, such as the
United Nations or the European Union.
Swedish missionaries and priests who are employed abroad together with their
families who live abroad may continue to be included in the registry in Sweden.
In addition, registered persons continue to be registered in the event of migration
abroad if the time spent abroad is intended to be less than one year. In those
cases where the emigration is unclear, as regards the amount of time being spent
abroad being more or less than one year, a person can remain registered in
Sweden for up to one year after emigrating. The person is then registered under
the heading "written into parish" or on the property where one still maintains a
residence.
2. Persons who live in Sweden but are not registered in Sweden
Persons who, upon immigrating to Sweden, intend to visit Sweden for a period
of less than one year are not registered. Non-Nordic citizens must have a
residency permit in order to be registered. Right of residency is all that is
required for EU citizens. Foreign nationals who belong to foreign emissaries or
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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consulates and the service staff thereof are not registered in Sweden. Thus,
people in these categories are not included in the Total Population Register.
3. Persons who are registered at a property other than the one where they reside.
• The so-called family rule means that if a person does not reside together with
their family due to working conditions, then she or he will in any case be
registered with their family as long as the family unit remains intact.
• If a person has temporary work at another location, then one should be
registered at one's actual home location.
• Students can be registered either at their home locations or the locations where
they conduct their studies depending on the length of the study time, their age,
civil status, etc. Students at the post-upper secondary level are normally registered at the place where they conduct their studies.
• The rule of not spending periods of regular rest at a specified property is
applied for travelling businessmen, on-site fitters and seamen. These groups are
entered into the population register where they are considered to be actual
residents.
• Persons who reside at care facilities for the elderly have the option of being
registered either in the parish of their former home or at a fictional property with
the heading "written into the parish of" or in the parish where the care facility is
situated.
• Admission to hospital, long-term care facility or correctional facility need not
result in a change in the population registration.
1.1.2
Variables
Resident country
Resident region
Civil status
Date of civil status
Date of adoption, father
Date of adoption, mother
Date other person 1
Date other person 2
Date of guardian 1
Date of guardian 2
Family identity 1 (Total Population Register family)
Property designation
Date of national registration
National registration code, adoptive father
National registration code, adoptive mother
National registration code, other person 1
National registration code, other person 2
National registration code, father
National registration code, husband/wife/partner
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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National registration code, mother
National registration code, guardian 1
National registration code, guardian 2
Parish of birth
Country of birth, father
Country of birth, mother
Country of birth, Total Population Register
County of birth
Parish
Municipality
Sex
Sex, related person
County
Date of citizenship
Country of citizenship
Civic registration number
Civic registration number, adoptive father
Civic registration number, adoptive mother
Civic registration number, other person 1
Civic registration number; other person 2
Civic registration number, father
Civic registration number, husband/wife/partner
Civic registration number, mother
Civic registration number, cohabitant
Civic registration number, guardian 1
Civic registration number, guardian 2
Date of population
Date of secrecy
Most recent date of immigration
Degree of urbanisation
Foreign/Swedish background
Foreign/Swedish background (alternative classification)
Country of emigration
City of emigration in the Nordic countries
Age at 31 December
Age in days 31 December
MetaPlus contains information on the source, reference time and derivations for
each variable.
1.1.3
Reference times
The reference point in time is 31 December 2011. The reference point in time is
for the variables county, municipality and parish is 1 January 2012.
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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1.2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
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Comprehensiveness
See Section 2.1 Overall accuracy
B.2
Accuracy
2.1
Overall accuracy
Data from the Total Population Register have generally good quality. Since
population registration data are widely used in society, the chance of finding
errors in the data and correcting them increase. Some government agencies are
required by ordinance to report errors in the population register. In addition, the
birth certificate issued by the Swedish Tax Agency can be seen as an important
check on the accuracy of data. The individual submits a request for a birth
certificate, which shows the data contained in the population register. A birth
certificate is required, for example, when acquiring identity cards, applying for
Swedish citizenship or applying for divorce. Every year about 2.6 million birth
certificates are issued.
Data from the population register that are seldom used in society are likely to
have slightly lower accuracy than variables frequently used by many government
authorities. This applies to data on adopted persons, for example.
Control studies have been carried out for the Total Population Register that
compare data in the Total Population Register with the Swedish Tax Agency Tax
registration database and these show very small differences. The most recent
comparison was made in February 2011. The result was that 539 people were
found in the Total Population Register system who Statistics Sweden had
deemed as still registered, but were not according to the Swedish Tax Agency. In
the other direction, there were 14 people who were registered with the Swedish
Tax Agency but not in the Total Population Register system. For people registered in both the Total Population Register and the Swedish Tax Agency register,
there were just 109 people whose civil registration data were not accurate. This
means that the contents of the population register and the Total Population
Register conform to a very high degree and that the accuracy of the Total
Population Register is good.
Overcoverage is the biggest problem in the accuracy of the Total Population
Register. Overcoverage means that people are still registered, even though they
no longer should be. Section 2.2.1 Coverage provides more description of the
problem.
2.1.1
Specification errors
A specification error is defined as the deviation that occurs between what the
register ideally should measure and what is actually measured. Four types of
specification error have been identified in the Total Population Register, and are
reported below.
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
Population and welfare department
Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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Families and households
It is currently not possible to report fully comprehensive statistics on families
and households in the Total Population Register. This is because it is not possible
to use the Total Population Register to find cohabitants, if there are no common
children present. This results in an overestimation of the number of single
households and an underestimation of the number of cohabitants. In a comparison with Statistics Sweden survey on Household finances, it was estimated that
there are at least 400 000 people who are cohabiting but who cannot be matched
to a family.
Defining families starts with the relationships between children and parents and
between spouses who are registered at the same property. People who live in
different apartments on the property can be erroneously regarded as included in
the same family.
A register-based population and housing census will be carried out and will be
published in mid-2013. For this purpose, population registration based on
dwelling unit location has been introduced, which will also enable publication of
current statistics on families and households in the future. Work on introducing
the current statistics will start in 2013.
Citizenship
Administrators at the Swedish Tax Agency can register up to three different
citizenships for one person. Once the information is reported, all citizenships are
entered into the Total Population Register system, but one of these is given
priority when the register is created. Order of priority:
1. Sweden
2. EEA country
3. Country outside the EEA with which Sweden has a mutual social insurance
agreement
4. Other countries
If a person has dual citizenship, one of which is Swedish, only the Swedish
citizenship is registered with the Swedish Tax Agency. Thus, the information is
entirely lacking for Swedish citizens with dual citizenship.
Alternate residences
For children whose parents are divorced but have joint custody, it often occurs
that the child lives alternately with both parents. An article in the no. 4/2009
issue of the Swedish magazine "Välfärd" disclosed that nearly 30 percent of
children with divorced parents reside alternately with each parent. The surveys
on living conditions form the bases of the calculations. The population register
and consequently the Total Population Register have no information about the
alternate residences because a person can only be registered at one location.
Link to: article (in Swedish only):
http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/LE0001_2009K04_TI_02_A05TI0904
.pdf
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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Incorrectly registered students
According to the Population Registration Act, a person in post-secondary
education is registered as residing at the place of study. There are studies that
suggest that students continue to be registered at their home location, rather than
at the place of study. This introduces a bias when the Total Population Register
is used, for example, for regional population statistics. A report from the
Swedish Tax Agency, 2006:7 Kartläggning av folkbokföringsfelet, estimated that
about one-fourth of students may have incorrect registration. After this report,
the Swedish Tax Agency extended information to students and universities to
increase awareness and reduce the problem of incorrect population registration.
Link to the report:
http://www.skatteverket.se/download/18.71004e4c133e23bf6db8000110100/200
607.pdf
2.2
Sources of inaccuracy
2.2.1
Coverage
A trade-off between timeliness and coverage has led to the decision to create the
register with a one-month lag. Thus, the register is produced one month after the
current reference period which is 31 December 2011. The register is not produced immediately after the reference time in order to wait for as many updates
as possible from the Swedish Tax Agency.
Long time from arrival to residence permit
The trade-off between timeliness and coverage is especially justified in relation
to immigration to Sweden. Immigrants are registered as immigrants at the time
they are registered in Sweden. In some cases, it may take a relatively long time
between arrival in Sweden and the time of population registration. This is due to
the long time it may take for people with non-Nordic citizenship to receive
residence permits.
Everything is not reported correctly to the population register.
Data in the Total Population Register are a copy of the Swedish Tax Agency's
population register. The ideal content in the population register is defined by the
statutes governing the population register. However, there are people who should
be registered but are not (undercoverage) and people who are registered even
though they should not be (overcoverage), resulting in coverage errors. There are
deficiencies in the reporting of births, deaths, immigration and emigration,
resulting in these coverage errors.
I Undercoverage
Deficiencies in the reporting of births and immigration result in undercoverage.
 In practice, births give rise to very small problems, due to the quick reporting procedures. The Swedish Tax Agency registers 94 percent of
births within two days. Within a month, 100 percent of births are registered in principle. For newborns, the estimated undercoverage in the observation register is 0.1 percent of newborn babies of 0 years.
 There is no estimate of the magnitude of undercoverage due to immigration. Undercoverage arises if a person immigrates to Sweden and is obliDocument1
STATISTICS SWEDEN
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Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
BE0102
14(20)
gated according to laws and regulations to register their residence but
does not do so. However, there is a strong incentive for a person to actually register their residence. Anyone who is not registered lacks many
rights, such as being unable to receive child allowance or open a bank account. This suggests that undercoverage is likely to be very small.
II. Overcoverage
Deficiencies in reporting deaths and emigration result in overcoverage. Deaths
give rise to very small problems due to quick reporting procedures. Within one
month, 100 percent of deaths are registered in principle. Overcoverage in the
observation register due to unreported deaths is assumed to be less than 0.1
percent of the dead.
Emigrants cause overcoverage if the emigration is not reported. Past studies
suggest that the population register and thus the Total Population Register
contain a significant number of people who no longer live in the country. This is
probably the most serious deficiency in quality in the population register as well
as in the Total Population Register. Most of those who move out of the country
do not have a vested interest in reporting emigration, and some do not report this.
It may even be advantageous for them to maintain their registration in Sweden.
Several attempts have been made to estimate the overcoverage, including by
comparing mortality risks for people with Swedish and foreign backgrounds, and
through analyses of non-response and returned mail from different surveys. A
study by Nilsson (1994:09) raised the hypothesis that overcoverage among
foreign-born can be as high as 10 percent. Other analyses indicate that the extent
of overcoverage can be 25 000 to 50 000 people, which represents 0.25 to 0.5
percent of the entire population.
A study by Qvist (1999:06) attempts to indirectly estimate overcoverage. The
study analysed the mortality of foreign-born individuals to indirectly estimate the
overcoverage. If these people have too low mortality relative to native-born
people for comparable groups, this may indicate errors in the population of the
groups. The lower mortality rate can thus be interpreted as the existence of
overcoverage in the Total Population Register. Calculations show that overcoverage among non-Nordic immigrants is in the range of 25 000 to 50 000 people,
equivalent to 4 to 8 percent of non-Nordic immigrants.
Studies were carried out in 2004 that tried to estimate the size of the overcoverage using register statistics. A preliminary estimate indicates an overcoverage of
at least 35 000 people.
The Swedish Tax Agency has highlighted the problem of population register
error in a report by Johansson (2006:11). For example, you may consider how
many people are automatically set a zero tax (persons for whom the Swedish Tax
Agency does not have any indication of economic activity in the form of
statements of earnings or ongoing business activities) as a possible indication
that they are no longer in the country. Then the estimate of overcoverage
becomes 25 000 to 35 000 working age persons. In the report, the Swedish Tax
Agency proposes measures to reduce the registration error, for example, by a
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STATISTICS SWEDEN
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DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
5 October 2012
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change in the law that would allow for greater cooperation between the relevant
government authorities. Controls within the Swedish Tax Agency could be more
effective if the population register gained access to the tax registers.
A report by Bengtsson (2010:10) found that overcoverage in the Total Population Register increased during the 2000s. However, the report cannot provide a
basis for a more accurate assessment of the magnitude of overcoverage.
Viewed over time, the Swedish Tax Agency estimates that the overcoverage
problem has increased. A certain correction is expected in connection with the
Swedish Tax Agency's new procedures for population registration by location of
dwelling unit. This could possibly reduce overcoverage.
2.2.2
Measurement
The data for the Total Population register are retrieved from the external
population registers and have an administrative character. The collection,
measurement and registration of the information are done primarily by the
population registration authorities (tax offices). The collection is carried out
according to established procedures with different types of forms. How the data
are collected and registered in practice is shown in the handbook on population
registration that is used in their work.
Since a large part of the reporting to the population registration system is done
by midwives, wedding officials, courts or doctors where reporting is part of the
working duties, one can reasonably assume that the data are reported with small
measurement errors.
When reporting is done by the individual, for example when moving, the
measurement errors are likely to be more extensive. This is especially evident in
the lack of reporting of emigration, which results in overcoverage, see Section
2.2.1. Coverage.
In 2011 the Swedish Tax Agency received about 96 000 reports of incorrect
population registration. Reports can come from other government authorities, but
also from individuals. Of these reports, nearly 40 000 were selected for an indepth residence check. This checking resulted in a changed population registration in 80 percent of the cases.
The population register sometimes checks address details on items that do not
reach the addressee in connection with mass mailings of tax bills and voting
cards, for example. The aim is to examine whether migration is reported in a
timely manner or reported at all, and to verify if the actual residency agrees with
the registered data. In 2011, 26 700 tax bills were returned out of a total of 6.5
million. This represents 0.41 percent.
Checks were also made in connection with the mailing of forms for the population and housing censuses in 1975, 1980 and 1985. The control studies showed
that the deficiencies were primarily due to the reporting of emigration. A more
detailed report of the results of these checks can be found in the publication
Folkmängd del 1–2, 31 December 1998 (SOS).
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Non-response
2.2.3.1 Unit non-response
Unit non-response does not occur in the Total Population Register.
2.2.3.2 Item non-response
There is no item non-response for the variables civic registration number, sex, age
and population register data. There is a very small non-response in, for example,
country of birth, citizenship and civil status. For relationships involving parent-child,
the coverage is better for Swedish-born than foreign-born persons. This is because
the child can immigrate alone or if the child immigrates in adulthood, the parents are
not registered.
2.2.4
Data processing
Data registration is carried out by the local tax authorities. When the data are
prepared, registered and processed in the population register, manual and automated
checks are implemented that can generate corrections.
Once the data are reported to Statistics Sweden, they are reviewed in the various
stages of processing before they are approved for input into the Total Population
Register's final observation register. Reviewing policies are developed in cooperation with representatives of the population statistics and each review is logged and
stored in SQL tables.
2.2.5
Model assumptions
B.3
Timeliness
3.1
Frequency
The register is created every month. The annual register is produced once a year.
3.2
Production times
The production time for the register is slightly more than one month. This means
that the register that refers to 31 December is produced in early February.
3.3
Punctuality
The register regarding 31 December 2011 was completed on time, based on an
agreement with representatives for the population statistics.
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B.4
Comparability and Coherence
4.1
Comparability over time
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The data in the Total Population Register system come from the Swedish population
registration system and are therefore dependent on the definitions and rules applied
there. The content of the population register has remained largely unchanged since
1968, when the Total Population Register system was created. This also applies to
the Total Population Register system which has changed very little since the start.
Nonetheless, there are differences that can be found in the set of variables and the
variable contents in the documentation for long-term archiving of the Total Population Register registers. Some of the changes that have affected the register and
variable content are described below.
Assisted conception
Beginning 1 July 2005, assisted conception with donated sperm is also carried out
by Swedish health care services for a woman who is a registered partner or cohabiting with another woman. The partner or cohabitant is - together with the fertilised
woman - regarded as the parent of the child who is born, provided that she has
consented to the treatment and the likelihood that the child was conceived through it.
Parenthood will be determined by confirmation or judgment.
Changes in civil status
Legislation on divorces was changed on 1 January 1974. Briefly, these changes
included a replacement of the year of judicial separation with a six-month period for
consideration. If the spouses do not have children under the age of 16 and both are in
agreement of divorce, no time for consideration is needed. The sharp increase in the
number of divorces during 1974 and 1975 must be seen from this perspective. In
1990, the rules for the widow's pension were changed. Many cohabitants wanted to
secure their right to a widow's/widower's pension, resulting in a dramatic rise in the
number of marriages in 1989. Between 1 January 1995 and 30 April 2009, it was
possible to enter into a registered partnership. On 1 May 2009, a gender-neutral
marriage law entered into force which repealed the law on registered partnership.
Since then, it is no longer possible to enter into registered partnerships in Sweden.
People who are registered partners can, if they wish, convert their partnership into
marriage by notifying the Swedish Tax Agency.
Reorganisation of the population register
On 1 July 1991, the local tax offices (now called tax offices) took over responsibility
from parish offices for the population register at the local level. In connection with
the reorganisation, the old regulations were replaced with a new legal text. The
regulations are nearly the same as the previous ones. However, one of the changes
was that persons over age 17 in post-upper secondary education would be registered
at the address where they reside. Previously, these students were registered at their
parents' address. The new law has been gradually increasing the number of moves of
people in the ages 19 to 24, as students have increasingly registered at their place of
study. The population growth reported in subsequent years may partly be an effect
of the new Population Registration Act.
Births
In 1973 notification of newborns to Statistics Sweden were changed. Previously, the
child's ordinal position (of child in family) was stated only for children born in
lasting marriages entered in 1950 or later. This ordinal position number referred to
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all of the spouses' children including both live births and stillborn. Beginning in
mid-1973, the notification of births contains instead the number of children that the
mother has previously given birth to, regardless of civil status, live or stillborn.
Statistics Sweden has calculated this upwards to refer to the ordinal position of the
newborn child. On 1 July 1979 legislation on citizenship was changed. This change
refers to children whose fathers are foreign citizens and whose mothers are Swedish
citizens. Prior to 1 July 1979, these children were considered foreign citizens at
birth, but today they are Swedish citizens. The decision that children of Swedish
mothers are always Swedish citizens allows the child a greater possibility of
acquiring dual citizenship. However, only Swedish citizenship is recorded in the
Swedish population register.
Since 1976, the concept of born within or outside of wedlock has been deleted from
all legislation.
Until 1 July 2008, a stillborn child referred to a newborn who died after the end of
the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy (or, in uncertain cases, at least 35 cm long).
Beginning 1 July 2008, a stillborn child refers to a newborn who died after the end
of the twenty-second week of pregnancy (or, in uncertain cases, at least 25 cm long).
Classification changes
Changes in classifications hamper the comparability of statistics over time. The
content register relating to conditions as at 31 December 2011 is reported according
to the classification of administrative areas and countries that will apply from 1
January 2012. Event registers for the full year 2011 are reported in accordance with
the classifications in force on 1 January 2011.
Domestic migration
Prior to 1998, the year and month for national registration of moves was presented
as the time point for the move. From 1998 onwards, the actual moving date was
registered as the time point for moving if the move was reported within one week. If
a report for a move does not arrive in time, the new information in the population
register is recorded on the day the report arrives at the authorised recipient.
Emigration
Every year the Swedish Tax Agency conducts checks of persons whose residence
has been unknown for a long time. If the person is not found, he/she is finally
removed from the population register and registered as emigrated to the country
"nonexistent". In 2010, the Swedish Tax Agency undertook special efforts to "clean
out" the population register. This resulted in the emigration of 4 170 registered
individuals "nonexistent" in 2010, which is a large number. Normally, the number of
emigrants to "nonexistent" is about 500 people in a year (except for 2008, when the
number of emigrants to "nonexistent" was 1 892 individuals). The number of
emigrants to unknown country was also relatively high in 2010 (2 401 people).
4.1.1
Comparisons at the micro level over time
Every year, nearly a thousand people change their civic registration number for
various reasons. The most common reason is that an incorrect birth date or incorrect
sex has been registered in connection with immigration or birth. Due to the changes
in civic registration numbers, a person may be found in a register with more than
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tion numbers. This creates problems when several civic registration numbers can
refer to the same individual. There are procedures for dealing with this problem at
Statistics Sweden's register unit.
4.2
Comparability between domains
4.2.1
Comparisons within the same register
4.3
Coherence with other registers/data
The Total Population Register is used as a basis for the production of statistics,
as a sampling frame and auxiliary information for calibration and as a data
source for other registers and surveys.
B.5
Accessibility and Clarity
5.1
Presentation
When the register is made available to users, an email is sent to internal users at
Statistics Sweden.
5.2
Documentation
Lists of variable lists and data set descriptions are presented in the Documentation of microdata (MetaPlus), which is available on Statistics Sweden's website.
https://www.h2.scb.se/metadata/Default.aspx (in Swedish only)
Below is a list of sources of the specified reports.
Bengtsson, Tor (2010). Övertäckningen i Registret över totalbefolkningen.
Statistics Sweden, Bakgrundsfakta 2010:5
http://www.scb.se/Pages/PublishingCalendarViewInfo____259923.aspx?PublOb
jId=14107 (in Swedish only)
Johansson, Nils (2006). Kartläggning av folkbokföringsfelet. Swedish Tax
Agency, Report 2006:7 (in Swedish only)
http://www.skatteverket.se/download/18.71004e4c133e23bf6db8000110100/200
607.pdf
Nilsson, Åke (1994). Brister i folkbokföringen. Statistics Sweden, PM 21
September 1994 (in Swedish only)
Qvist, Jan (1999). Täckningsproblem i Registret över totalbefolkningen RTB.
Statistics Sweden, R&D Report 1999:1 (in Swedish only)
5.3
Access to the final observation register
Statistics Sweden provides data preparation services of all register years on a
commission basis. After special consideration, researchers and investigators may
gain access to anonymised microdata for own processing in MONA, for example.
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Population and welfare department
Karin Wegfors
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTER
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Authorisation for access to the final observation register:
Contact person: Karin Wegfors
Unit: BV/REG
Telephone: 6498
Email: karin.wegfors@scb.se
Release of microdata:
Contact person: Kerstin Båsjö
Unit: BV/BE
Telephone: 6123
Email: befolkning.forskning@scb.se
Statistics assignment:
Contact person: Statistical services
Unit: KOM
Telephone: +46 8 506 948 01
Email: www.scb.se/Fragaoss
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