Population and Housing Census 2008
Liberia, 2008
Created on
Apr 07, 2014
Last modified
Mar 29, 2019
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Identification
Survey ID Number
LBR_2008_PHC_v01_M
Title
Population and Housing Census 2008
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Liberia | LBR |
Study type
Population and Housing Census [hh/popcen]
Series Information
The first Liberia census was conducted in 1962, followed by the 1974 Population and Housing Census. In 1984, the third census programme was executed. Unlike the censuses before it, the Final Report of the 1984 Population and Housing Census was never published. The manuscript and most of the data went missing during the civil war. According to United Nations prescriptions, Liberia should have held two censuses in 1994 and 2004 but the disruptions of civil order could not allow this to happen.
Abstract
The Government of Liberia considered the 2008 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) a necessary prerequisite for assessing the socio-economic needs of its population and, hence, it attaches great importance to the determination of the current numbers and distribution of the population in pursuance of its program for national development. Therefore, the census organization provided for participation at all levels of Government, civil society and non-governmental organizations through the formation of committees, working in close collaboration with and under the direct supervision of authority from the Census Commission.
The mapping exercise that preceded the census canvassed the whole country and drew all boundaries of the administrative hierarchy and geographically positioned the various localities. Hence, the 2008 Population and Housing Census (NPHC) will, to a certain extent, bridge the statistics gaps mentioned above by offering national and sub-national baseline statistics and updated demographic indicators.
Globally, the methodology of census taking has been improving over the years and the 2008 NPHC portrays these improvements. However, there are two basic additions to this census; foremost, the shift from the de jure censuses of 1962, 1974 and 1984 to a de facto census in 2008 and, secondly, the inclusion of an Agricultural Module. The de jure census records usual residents of the household while the de facto one records persons who spent a reference night in the household. De facto censuses are easier to conduct and, hence, most countries adopt them. Liberia being a predominantly agricultural country, the 'Agricultural Module' was introduced with the aim of generating a sampling frame that will be used to design and implement agricultural surveys in the future.
The enumeration started on the morning of 21st of March, 2008 and ended in the evening of 30th March, 2008. It was done by trained enumerators who administered a standard questionnaire to the household heads or any other knowledgeable household members. Arrangements were made to ensure that special categories of the population were enumerated; for example, street children who do not live in formal households, in-mates in hotels and transients at air and sea ports.
The mapping exercise that preceded the census canvassed the whole country and drew all boundaries of the administrative hierarchy and geographically positioned the various localities. Hence, the 2008 Population and Housing Census (NPHC) will, to a certain extent, bridge the statistics gaps mentioned above by offering national and sub-national baseline statistics and updated demographic indicators.
Globally, the methodology of census taking has been improving over the years and the 2008 NPHC portrays these improvements. However, there are two basic additions to this census; foremost, the shift from the de jure censuses of 1962, 1974 and 1984 to a de facto census in 2008 and, secondly, the inclusion of an Agricultural Module. The de jure census records usual residents of the household while the de facto one records persons who spent a reference night in the household. De facto censuses are easier to conduct and, hence, most countries adopt them. Liberia being a predominantly agricultural country, the 'Agricultural Module' was introduced with the aim of generating a sampling frame that will be used to design and implement agricultural surveys in the future.
The enumeration started on the morning of 21st of March, 2008 and ended in the evening of 30th March, 2008. It was done by trained enumerators who administered a standard questionnaire to the household heads or any other knowledgeable household members. Arrangements were made to ensure that special categories of the population were enumerated; for example, street children who do not live in formal households, in-mates in hotels and transients at air and sea ports.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
- Individuals;
- Households.
- Households.
Scope
Notes
The scope of the PHC includes:
- Age and Sex
- Relationship
- Ethic Affiliation/Citizenship
- Religion
- Marital status
- Displacement and Resettlement
- Disability
- Education
- Labour Force
- Birth place, previous residence and duration of residence
- Orphan-hood
- Particulars of live births
- Housing conditions and household amenities
- Agriculture
- Age and Sex
- Relationship
- Ethic Affiliation/Citizenship
- Religion
- Marital status
- Displacement and Resettlement
- Disability
- Education
- Labour Force
- Birth place, previous residence and duration of residence
- Orphan-hood
- Particulars of live births
- Housing conditions and household amenities
- Agriculture
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name |
|---|
| United Nations Population Fund |
| Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| United Nations Mission in Liberia | GIS |
| United States Agency for International Development | Provision of equipment |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations Population Fund | UNFPA | Funding of study tours |
| United Nations Children’s Fund | UNICEF | Funding for the Post-Enumeration Survey |
| World Bank/PARIS 21 | WB/PARIS 21 | Funding for the main data processing phase |
| African Development Bank | AfDB | Data analysis, publication and dissemination of the final data |
| United Nations Development Programme | UNDP | Part-payment of the training allowances of enumerators |
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2008-03-21 | 2008-03-27 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collection Notes
A total of 81 persons were recruited, trained and deployed to prepare the enumeration area (EA) maps for the entire country. They worked in five statistical zones and divided the whole country into EAs using 1:50,000/1:250000 topographical maps and satellite imageries.
Each EA comprising 80 to 120 households was demarcated as far as possible following identifiable physical features on the ground. They were delineated within the clans (rural areas) or communities (urban areas). All EAs were assigned geographic codes that identified them uniquely in terms of their geographical location or the placement within the clans/communities, district and counties.
Each EA comprising 80 to 120 households was demarcated as far as possible following identifiable physical features on the ground. They were delineated within the clans (rural areas) or communities (urban areas). All EAs were assigned geographic codes that identified them uniquely in terms of their geographical location or the placement within the clans/communities, district and counties.
Data Collectors
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services | LISGIS |
Data Processing
Data Editing
The processing of data collected in a census constitutes one of the most important and challenging activities that have to be undertaken efficiently and expeditiously in order to justify the immense resources invested in a census. This activity entailed several processes: manual editing of the questionnaires after enumeration, data capture, data cleaning and validation, and finally tabulation. Intelligence character recognition (ICR) technology will be employed for data capture.
Government’s commitment to provide provisional results within two and half months after enumeration and final results within another six months greatly influenced the strategies and actions adopted at every stage of data processing in order to adhere to the commitment.
Government’s commitment to provide provisional results within two and half months after enumeration and final results within another six months greatly influenced the strategies and actions adopted at every stage of data processing in order to adhere to the commitment.
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | URL | |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs | info@emansion.gov.lr | Link |
Citation requirements
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example:
United Nations Population Fund, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. Liberia Population and Housing Census 2008. Ref. LBR_2008_PHC_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from www.measuredhs.com on [date]
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example:
United Nations Population Fund, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. Liberia Population and Housing Census 2008. Ref. LBR_2008_PHC_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from www.measuredhs.com on [date]
Access authority
| Name | URL | |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs | info@emansion.gov.lr | Link |
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_LBR_2008_PHC_v01_M_WB
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Data Group | DECDG | The World Bank | Documentation of the DDI |
Date of Metadata Production
2014-03-05
DDI Document version
Version 01 (March 2014)