The Census in Developing Countries Information about population numbers is inaccurate in developing countries because: A census is very costly. Literacy levels can be low which makes filling in the form very difficult. Scribes would be costly to employ.

In some countries (India and Brazil) many languages are spoken In some countries (India and Brazil) many languages are spoken. Printing the form in all the languages would be expensive. Interpreters would also be costly to employ. Inaccessibility can make the distribution of the census difficult. Roads may not be tarmac and communities may live in isolated locations such as Papua New Guinea

The data can sometimes be unreliable- nomadic people (Tuareg or Fulani in West Africa), illegal immigrants and daily changes to birth and death rates alter the information daily. Civil war/war e.g. Afghanistan can make the collection of data dangerous for the enumerators and data is quickly dated Daily rural-urban migration will affect the information gathered.

In some countries such as India and China the births of girls are not always registered due to infanticide. Ethnic tensions and internal political rivalries may lead to inaccuracies e.g. northern Nigeria was reported to have inflated its population figures to secure increased political representation over the south. In the Palestinian Territories checkpoints limit mobility