PARAGUAY

1. Name and address of the organization responsible for the census:

Dirección General de Estadística, Encuestas y Censos, Naciones Unidas y Saavedra, Fernando de la Mora Zona Norte, Casilla de Correo No. 1118, Asunción.

2. Population censuses conducted since 1945 (years):

1950, 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002. The description below refers to the 2002 population census (carried out on 28 August).

3. Coverage of the census:

a) Geographical scope: The whole country.

b) Persons covered: The whole population.

4. Reference period:

The week preceding the date of the census.

5. Main topics:

a) Total population, by sex and age: yes

Economically active population by:

b) Sex and age group: yes

c) Industry: yes

d) Occupation: yes

e) Status in employment: yes

f) Highest educational level: yes

g) Hours of work: no

h) Other characteristics: yes

Re. a): Age was defined in terms of age at last birthday.

Re. h): Working in the public or private sector, permanent or contract worker, size of enterprise ranked in six categories.

6. Concepts and definitions:

a) Economically active population: Comprises all persons aged 10 and over who, during the reference week, were either employed or unemployed according to the definitions below. The definition excludes conscripts but includes career military personnel. 

b) Employment: Considered as employed are all persons who worked at least one hour during the reference week. The questions used are: “(1) During the last week (from Sunday to Saturday) did you do any work, even if only for one hour? (2) During the last week did you have a job, but did not go to work because you were ill, on leave, on holiday or other reasons? (3) During the last week did you do any odd jobs or produce any product at home or outside the home for sale, or provide any service or help anyone in their work, business or farm?”.

It is reported that the following categories were included:

i)         persons doing unpaid work in a family enterprise or business;

ii)        employed persons temporarily absent from work.

Both the above categories can be identified separately.

c) Unemployment: Considered as unemployed are persons who, in the last four weeks, were seeking work, having worked before, or looking for their first job. The questions used are: “(1) Did you look for work during the last four weeks? (2) Have you worked before?”.

7. Classifications used:

Both employed persons and unemployed persons were classified by industry, by occupation and by status in employment.

a) Industry: Based on the question “What activity does your workplace (or former workplace) engage in or what does it produce? (Examples: cotton growing, housing construction, small shop, garment making, poultry raising, sale of plastic chairs, shoe repair, baking, livestock transport, cattle, school, hospital, supermarket, Ministry of Finance, family household)”. For coding industry, ten groups of the Classification of Economic Activities for Social and Demographic Surveys (CAES) of MERCOSUR were used. CAES-MERCOSUR is based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC) Rev. 3. (The tabulation category, consisting of an alphabetical digit, corresponds to that of ISIC Rev. 3. At the division level, consisting of two numerical digits, there are links to ISIC Rev. 3 with one exception: wholesale and retail trade).

b) Occupation: Based on the question: “What is (or was) your main occupation at work? Specify the task. (Examples: farmer, horticulturalist, agricultural labourer, shopkeeper, dressmaker, mason, car mechanic, truck driver, chipa (cheese bun) vendor, supermarket cashier, building electrician, schoolteacher, printing press operator)”. For coding occupation the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) was used at the four-digit level.

c) Status in employment: Based on the question “In this job are (or were) you: self-employed; unpaid family worker; employer; domestic worker; employee or labourer?” For coding this variable the six abovementioned groups were used.

d) Level of education: Based on the questions: “(1) Did you attend or are you attending regular school or educational establishment? (2) What is the highest level and grade or course passed? (i) special education; (ii) adult basic education; (iii) none; (iv) preschool; (v) primary or basic education; (vi) secondary education; (vii) non-university higher education; (viii) university.” For coding this variable, the national classification, linked to ISCED-97, was used. To classify non-university higher education and university education, a classification was developed based on ISCED-97; ten groups were used.

8. Main differences compared with the previous census:

In the 1992 census, the reference period used in the question was: most of last week. Now there are three filter questions and the reference period is: worked at least one hour in the week preceding the census. 

Size of enterprise and public sector employment, as well as the nature of such employment, were added.

9. Publication of the census results:

The preliminary data of the Paraguay Indigenous and Urban Area Census were published in December 2002, and the preliminary results for the Rural Areas and Whole Country were published in April 2003. 

The exact title of the publication containing the total preliminary results is Paraguay Total: resultados preliminares.

The organization responsible for the publication is Dirección General de Estadística, Encuestas y Censos, Naciones Unidas y Saavedra, Fernando de la Mora Zona Norte, Casilla de Correo No. 1118, Asunción.

The results of the census are available in print, on the web page (www.dgeec.gov.py) and on magnetic support.