Register based Statistics in Finland

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Register based Statistics in Finland

• Pekka Myrskylä, Statistics Finland

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Contents

• 1. Milestones of population statistics in Finland
• 2. Conditions for register-based statistical
  production
• 3. The basic units of register-based statistical
  system and codes for combining the registers
• 4. Sources of population Census in Finland
• 5. Advantages and disadvantages of using
  administrative sources

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Milestones of population statistics in Finland

• the 1500s Church records of births and deaths
• the 1600s Everyone over the age of 12 entered in
  the church registers
• 1748 Statistical bureau "Tabellverket" was
  established
• 1749 The first population census
• 1749-1930 Compilation of 10-year tables,
  censuses conducted by largest towns
• 1938 Census law was enacted
• 1950, 1960, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985
  Questionnaire-based censuses

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Milestones of population statistics in Finland
(cont.)

• 1969 Central Population Register was established
• 1970 Taxation and pensioner registers were
  established
• 1970 Use of registers in Population Censuses
  began
• 1980 Data collection for the Register of
  Buildings and Dwellings
• 1989 The first statistics on the basis of
  register-based employment statistics system were
  published
• 1990 The first register-based census, second in
  the world
• 1995 and 2000 Register-based census

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Conditions for register-based statistical
production (1)

• The used registers and administrative data must
  meet certain conditions so that they can be
  utilised in statistical production
• Content and conceptual conditions
• coverage
• the target population must describe units
• relevance
• Reliability
• identifying data and attribute data
• Up-to-dateness

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Conditions for register-based statistical
production (2)

• Administrative conditions
• right to obtain register data in the possession
  of different authorities for statistical use
• Technical conditions
• descriptions
• electronic format
• generally used identifiers
• Attribute data in coded or numerical form
• The costs
• The costs lower than the costs of some other
  method

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Development of the use of registers in Population
Censuses

• took 20 years
• step by step
• full support of the Ministry of Finance and the
  some other ministries (Min. of Interior,
  Education, Social affairs) management of
  Statistics Finland

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Register data in censuces and annually population
and employment statistics
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Statistical basic registers
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The basic units of register-based statistical
system

• 1 Building code

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The basic units of register-based statistical
system

• 1 Building code
• 2 Domicile code

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The basic units of register-based statistical
system

• 1 Building code
• 2 Domicile code
• 3 Enterprise number
• 4 Establishment number
• 5 Address

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Domicile code

• Municipality (3 digits) 091

• Village /town district code (3) 602

Building code (18 digits)

• Block (4) 0042

• Real estate (4) 0003

• Check code (1) K

• Building number (3) 001

• Entrance (1) A

• Flat number (3) 003

Dwelling code (5 digits)

• (Flat divider code (1) B)

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Other statistics based on registers

• Annual population statistics
• Population changes (Births, Deaths, Migration
  between and within municipalities, Immigration
  and emigration, Marriages and divorces)
• Regional employment statistics (annual Census
  data)
• Household-dwelling units
• Family statistics
• Building and dwelling statistics
• Building construction statistics
• Housing conditions
• Education statistics
• GIS-statistics (small area formation)

• Occupation statistics
• Wage and salary statistics
• Income distribution statistics
• Business statistics
• Labour force survey
• Household budget survey
• Sample picking, data collection, estimation,
  lacking data, under coverage surveys, etc

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Some factors facilitating the increased use of
administrative registers in Finland

• Use of uniform identification numbers
• Administrations own interest in building
  nation-wide databases
• Acceptance of the population
• cost efficient
• reduces response burden
• Legal basis

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Advantages of register-based statistics production

• Lower costs 1980 Finnish Census cost EUR 34
  million, 2000 Census EUR 840 000
• Total data can be produced annually
• New Statistics Because of the identifying codes
  it is possible to compile the flow-statistics
• All the cases are handled in the same way
• Better confidentiality and data protection
• Today 96 of all statistical data comes from
  different registers

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The costs of the censuses 1970-2000 (euro)
Million euro
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Disadvantages of register-based statistics
production (1)

• Dependence on data suppliers
• An amendment in legislation or other
  administrative change can cause changes to the
  data content of the register
• Changes in data suppliers information system can
  bring problems, at least delays from the normal
  production rate
• The coverage of registers may be defective for
  some data, although the register itself would
  contain all the units

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Disadvantages of register-based statistics
production (2)

• Consistency problems may arise when linking
  information from different registers
• All the information that previously used to ask
  on census forms not exist in the register

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Conclusion

• Most important reasons for beginning to build a
  totally register-based census system
• costs are much lower
• administrative registers were sufficiently
  developed
• rationality gt lower the response burden
• growing needs for statistics and small area
  statistics