Population Censuses in Benin: long term experience and recent developments

1. By: Félicien Donat E. T. Accrombessy, Statistician, Chief of Studies and Research Unit, National Agency for Employment, Benin Cotonou, Bénin afdet_accro@yaho.fr Population Censuses in Benin: long term experience and recent developments

2. SUMMARY • 1 Introduction • 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility • 3 Harmonization: comparability (or absence thereof-) between censuses, and with international standards, section by section • 4. Conclusion: Extend the research capacity to national and international levels

3. 1 Introduction • Some historical evidence of censuses and numbering in the kingdom of Danhomè, • Conducting population censuses and surveys in Benin goes back to the second half of the twentieth century, • 1961: First Demographic Sample Survey in Benin, • 1979, 1992 and 2002:Growing experience in conducing Population and Housing Censuses by the National Office for Statistics (INSAE).

4. 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility • First census 1979: lack of appropriated technology for saving the data • Micro-data then partially recovered by the ACAP project • Raise in the issue of representativeness of recovered data. • Data from the 1992 and 2002 censuses are fully available. • Internal use for specific studies: household labor surveys, … • Published reports available at the INSAE documentation center,

5. 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility (cd) • Used to conduct specific surveys, to draw a sample from the census master sample. • questionnaires were improved over the years with following information • geographical location: place of residence, district, city, province • agricultural activity of the households, and when applicable its location; • ethnicity for nationals, country of origin for foreigners separately in 1992, but asked together in 2002

6. 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility (cd) • In both 1992 and 2002 censuses, questions are quite similar • housing questions • satisfaction of basic needs • questions on disability and handicaps were asked in 2002 --> allowed analysis of the most deprived populations. • Indeed, as for any census, the main results are edited in census publication series. • 1979 census: monographies published in 1980, in 1986 and 1988, two main volumes of “Analysis and results” and “Statistical tables”,

7. 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility (cd) • 1992 census also gave several publications: “Synthesis of Results”; “Provisional Results”, and three volumes of “Final results” (1993), “Analysis of results” (1994); “Demographic projections and prospective studies” (1994). • More data were published later on the population of the districts: • 2002 census, three CD-ROM were published in 2003 (also available in print since 2005), containing: “Synthesis of Results”; “Analysis of results”, and “Listing of villages”. • Publications are similar from census to census, although in 2002 analysis was developed through • Households, Living conditions and Poverty in Benin”, and “Characteristics of Vulnerable Persons in Benin”, topics that were not covered in 1992.

8. 2. History of census micro-data, availability and accessibility (cd) • Lack of doing analysis : data obviously under-utilized. • data poorly published in international journals or in publications, for ex: “African Households: Censuses and Surveys”, London in 2006 (M. E. Sharpe), • serious difficulties in trying to access data from Benin: a joint research on orphanhood was limited in the findings • acess to census micro-data to researchers, even within INSAE itself, is an issue, • Direct access to the data for the members of the census analysis team . • Misunderstanding between NSO and International organizations occurs • system of integrated data bases for censuses and household surveys, named Jupiter under construction.

9. 3Harmonization: comparability between censuses • Common rationale, comparisons as well as harmonization of concepts with other countries. • New variables were added or modified from census to census • Information on vulnerable populations in 2002: disability and handicap. • Inconsistencies remain, due to the categories recorded in the field or to the coding • Social variables. • a new category was introduced in 2002, « Polygamic with 3 wives », • « Relationship with the head of hh » slightly modified, • “Nationality” and “Ethnicity” were combined in 2002, • Categories of the variable “Religion” were more detailed in 2002.

10. 3 Harmonization: comparability between censuses • Administrative divisions (geography) and migration. • « Location », accessible information will no go beyond the district level • Change in administrative organization of the territory: but comparisons are still possible • Education variables. • Literacy  6 years or more in 2002, whereas  3 years or more in 1992. • Economic variables: minimum age went from 10 years in 1992 to 6 years in 2002. • Occupation coding: local classification (NAEMA) adapted from the international classification (ICTI, rev3) in 2002, whereas the coding used in 1992 was based on the ICTI, rev2.

11. 3 Harmonization: comparability between censuses • Demographic variables. Two questions in the third census: survival of father and survival of mother. fertility of resident women : focused on 12 years or more in 1992, whereas 10 years or more in 2002. RGPH3 provides more details on causes of deaths of women aged 10-55 years (maternal mortality). With info on the place of burial, marital status (age >=10) • variable on disability [handicap] was added, which did not exist in 1979 or 1992: allowed one to capture the disadvantage due to a disability or a handicap • Housing variables. With respect to housing characteristics, the compound [concession] was coded as a binary variable (Yes/No) in 2002, but was one category of the type of construction in 1992.

12. 4. Conclusion: Extend the research capacity • Considerable opportunities for research further along those lines, not only with the “Jupiter” data base which groups the three censuses, but also with all the other household surveys, whether demographic or socio-economic, in a large harmonized set with respect to concepts and variables to be used. • Develop collaboration between the National Statistical Institutes and the International Organizations, Partners for development with trust and frank cooperation. • Important role of researchers, both national and international

13. 4. Conclusion: Extend the research capacity • Involve students in useful research and studies • Need of collaboration between NSO and a project such as IPUMS-International: to benefit from the know-how already developed in this field, and to enable his own researchers to utilize the international micro-data already available worldwide. • It is therefore important that both parties find a reciprocal interface, and profitable for each of both parties.

14. Thank you very much for your kind attention Mi kou do to do mè