Uses of Population Censuses and Household Sample Surveys for Vital Statistics in South Africa United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Standards for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems New York, 27-30 June 2011

Main Sources of Data Civil registration systems not functioning well in majority of African countries Population censuses and household sample surveys are primary sources of demographic data In South Africa vital statistics are mainly derived from population censuses and household sample surveys

Vital Statistics Information Collected in Censuses: 1996-2011 Births 1996 2001 2011 Total number of children ever born Number of children surviving   Date of birth of first child Births in the past 12 months Number of children surviving     Date of birth of last-born child Number of children surviving Number of children living elsewhere Number of children dead Age at first birth  Date of birth of last child born

Vital Statistics Information Collected in Censuses: 1996-2011 Deaths 1996 2001 2011 Survival status of mother Survival status of father Survival status of last-born child Deaths in the past 12 months Deceased died from accident or violence Month and year of death Deceased died while pregnant or within 6 weeks after delivery (females of reproductive age) Deaths due to natural or non-natural cause Deceased died (i) while pregnant; (ii) during birth; (iii) within 6 weeks of delivery (females of reproductive age) Date of death of last-born child

Vital Statistics Information Collected in censuses: 1996-2011 Marriages and Divorces 1996 2001 2011 Present marital status

Observations on Questions asked in the Censuses Total number of children ever born and surviving as well as the survival status of the parents were asked in all three censuses The number of questions pertaining to vital statistics fluctuated from one census to the other Improvements in asking information on certain questions (e.g. asking 3 questions on maternal mortality in 2011 instead 1 question in 2001) Similar questions were asked differently, e.g., date of birth of first child in 1996 and age at first birth in 2011 Responses for present marital status in 1996 combine divorced and separated as one category while in 2001 and 2011 they are two separate categories Inclusion of the cause of death question in 2001 and 2011

Vital Statistics Information Collected in Household Sample Surveys: 1994-2010 Vital Event Type of Survey October Household Survey (1994-1999) General Household Survey (2002-2010) Community Survey (2007) Births Children ever born Survival status of child Birth registration status Pregnant past 12 months Status of pregnancy Total number of children ever born     Number of children surviving Number of children living elsewhere Number of children dead

Vital Statistics Information Collected in Household Sample Surveys: 1994-2010 Vital Event Type of Survey October Household Survey (1994-1999) General Household Survey (2002-2010) Community Survey (2007) Deaths Age of child at death Deaths in the past 12 months Death registration status Cause of death (natural, accident, violence) Survival status of parents Survival status of last born child Survival status of mother Survival status of father Deaths past 12 months Month and year of death Cause of death (unnatural, natural) Deceased died while pregnant or within 6 weeks after delivery

Use of Population Censuses and Household Sample Surveys for Vital Statistics Census data as denominators in calculation of vital rates and ratios for vital statistics investigated in the census, e.g., for crude birth and death rates Population projections from census data are denominators for vital rates and ratios from vital statistics from other sources, e.g., vital registration system to calculate annual crude birth and death rates Number of births and deaths, including due to AIDS are estimated from census data and/or combined with other source Census and survey data are used to evaluate completeness of birth and death data from civil registration system Using indirect demographic techniques, Community Survey data were used to estimate levels of fertility

How the Censuses and Surveys Meet the Core Vital Statistics Requirements Vital statistics produced are limited to births and deaths Information on marriages and divorces is based on present marital status with no indication of when event took place and when it got registered Therefore cannot determine annual marriages and divorces Information is not continuous especially from the census. Therefore seasonal, monthly, quarterly or annual information is not available There is no consistency in information collected over time both for censuses and surveys Detailed cause of death information is not available from either censuses or surveys

How Censuses and Household Sample Surveys Complement Register-based Statistics Background: Register-based statistics include data from the national population register and health services records Uses: Census and household sample surveys used for the calculation of birth and marriage rates from the National Population Register Data also used to estimate the completeness of birth registration Data from the National Population Register on deaths used to verify data from the Civil Registration System Health services records (number of births and immunization statistics) used to evaluate the number of births from the National Population Register

Conclusion Population Censuses and Community Survey have been the main sources of data from vital statistics in South Africa They have also been used to complement statistics from the civil registration system and the population register mainly for estimating completeness of death and birth registration Population Censuses and Community Survey do not completely meet the core vital statistics requirements There is need to start utilizing information from the civil registration for vital statistics in South Africa