4.15 Population census by combining information from different registers

In the 1980s various administrative registers became so reliable that they could be utilised for population censuses. Thus inquiry forms filled in by the persons themselves could be abandoned. While information on religious groups and domicile of birth obtained from the population register was utilised for the first time in 1970, the use of information derived from registers increased steadily in the next censuses.

The Population Census of 1990 was the first census based solely on different administrative registers. Demographic features of the population, such as age, gender, marital status and domicile have been available from the Central Population Register since it was founded, whereas information on people's economic activity had to be inquired from the persons themselves until 1985. Such information included main type of activity, status in employment, occupation and industry.

The 1990 Population Census was conducted by gathering information from such registers as: the Population Information System (previously the Central Population Register), the Tax Administration's registers, the employment relationship registers of the Central Pension Institute, the State Treasury and municipal pension institutes, Statistics Finland's Register of Enterprises and Establishments, the Social Insurance Institution's pension register, various student registers, the Ministry of Labour's register of job applicants, Statistics Finland's Register of Completed Education and Degrees, and the conscript register of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. In all, about 30 different administrative registers were used.

Finland is the second country after Denmark to have used only information collected from registers for its population census.

The register-based population census has also made it possible that nowadays almost all population census data can be produced every year.

Further information about Finland's population census is available at: Population census

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