The measurement of international and internal migration in the 2010 global round of population censuses: twelve key recommendations on questions, concepts and procedures

William L J Xu-Doeve

This paper focuses on methods of measuring international and internal migration in a demographically consistent fashion. In particular, it critically examines the current international principles and recommendations for population censuses of the United Nations from the perspective of the measurement of migration. These methodological guidelines are shown to be less than optimal in a number of quite fundamental respects. To assist countries in significantly improving their ability to measure and analyse international and internal population movements, this paper develops twelve specific key methodological and operational recommendations in respect of the measurement of migration for the next global round of population censuses. In formulating these recommendations, this paper addresses both the international organizations involved in updating the international principles and recommendations for the 2010 global round, and the national statistical organizations which will actually be taking and processing their national 2010 population census, as well as analysts of migration data.