Population census

A census (from the Latincensere, 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating information about the members of a given population, which is then usually presented through statistics. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses. Other common censuses include censuses of agriculture, traditional culture, businesses, supplies, and traffic censuses. The United Nations (UN) defines the essential features of population and housing censuses as "individual enumeration, universality within a defined territory, simultaneity, and defined periodicity", and recommends that population censuses be conducted at least every ten years. UN recommendations also cover census topics to be collected, official definitions, classifications, and other information to coordinate international practices.