Rationale
Historically, population data comprised counts of all people present in a given area at a given time. However, increased geographic mobility means people are more likely to move between New Zealand and overseas, and between areas of New Zealand, for work, study and holidays. There is, therefore, a need for population data about the people who usually live in an area at a given time, as this is more relevant for many planning purposes (for example, housing and schools).
There are three main population measures produced by Statistics New Zealand:
- census night population count
- census usually resident population count
- estimated resident population.
It is important that users are aware which population measure has been used when comparing data from different sources.
The purpose of this standard is to explain the differences between the three main population measures so that population data will be easier to understand. Previously, no standard terminology or definitions existed for these population measures. Also, because the concepts overlap and are complex, the comparability of the different population measures has not been well understood.
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