Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

This database contains information on several demographic and labour market characteristics of the population of 28 OECD countries around the year 2000, by country of birth. The OECD countries included are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of the thematic files of the database include three core variables: the country of residence, the country of birth and educational attainment. Other variables available in the database include age, gender, citizenship, duration of stay, labour force status, occupation, sector of activity and field of study. In general, the database covers all individuals aged 15 and older.

The sources for this database are mainly census data, from the 2000 round of censuses. Census data were used for 22 countries. Countries not taking periodic censuses but keeping population registers have provided data extracted from these registers; this is the case for four countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. For some countries, not all themes covered in the database are present in the national census or register. Labour force surveys, provided by Eurostat and averaged over the period 1998-2002, have been used to fill the gaps where possible.

This database contains information on several demographic and labour market characteristics of the population of 28 OECD countries around the year 2000, by country of birth. The OECD countries included are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of the thematic files of the database include three core variables: the country of residence, the country of birth and educational attainment. Other variables available in the database include age, gender, citizenship, duration of stay, labour force status, occupation, sector of activity and field of study. In general, the database covers all individuals aged 15 and older.

This database contains information on several demographic and labour market characteristics of the population of 28 OECD countries around the year 2000, by country of birth. The OECD countries included are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of the thematic files of the database include three core variables: the country of residence, the country of birth and educational attainment. Other variables available in the database include age, gender, citizenship, duration of stay, labour force status, occupation, sector of activity and field of study. In general, the database covers all individuals aged 15 and older with a tertiary education.

This database contains information on several demographic and labour market characteristics of the population of 28 OECD countries around the year 2000, by country of birth. The OECD countries included are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of the thematic files of the database include three core variables: the country of residence, the country of birth and educational attainment. Other variables available in the database include age, gender, citizenship, duration of stay, labour force status, occupation, sector of activity and field of study. In general, the database covers all individuals aged 15 and older.

The sources for this database are mainly census data, from the 2000 round of censuses. Census data were used for 22 countries. Countries not taking periodic censuses but keeping population registers have provided data extracted from these registers; this is the case for four countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. For some countries, not all themes covered in the database are present in the national census or register. Labour force surveys, provided by Eurostat and averaged over the period 1998-2002, have been used to fill the gaps where possible.

The sources for this database are mainly census data, from the 2000 round of censuses. Census data were used for 22 countries. Countries not taking periodic censuses but keeping population registers have provided data extracted from these registers; this is the case for four countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. For some countries, not all themes covered in the database are present in the national census or register. Labour force surveys, provided by Eurostat and averaged over the period 1998-2002, have been used to fill the gaps where possible. The exact national source and reference period for each file is given in Table A.1 (see the methodological document).

This database contains information on several demographic and labour market characteristics of the population of 28 OECD countries around the year 2000, by country of birth. The OECD countries included are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Most of the thematic files of the database include three core variables: the country of residence, the country of birth and educational attainment. Other variables available in the database include age, gender, citizenship, duration of stay, labour force status, occupation, sector of activity and field of study. In general, the database covers all individuals aged 15 and older.

Unit of measure used: Thousands   OECD countries seldom have tools specifically designed to measure the inflows and outflows of the foreign population, and national estimates are generally based either on population registers or residence permit data. This note is aimed at describing more systematically what is measured by each of the sources used.   Flows derived from population registers   Population registers can usually produce inflow and outflow data for both nationals and foreigners. To register, foreigners may have to indicate possession of an appropriate residence and/or work permit valid for at least as long as the minimum registration period. Emigrants are usually identified by a stated intention to leave the country, although the period of (intended) absence is not always specified.   When population registers are used, departures tend to be less well recorded than arrivals. Indeed, the emigrant who plans to return to the host country in the future may be reluctant to inform about his departure to avoid losing rights related to the presence on the register. Registration criteria vary considerably across countries (as the minimum duration of stay for individuals to be defined as immigrants ranges from three months to one year), which poses major problems of international comparison. For example, in some countries, register data cover a portion of temporary migrants, in some cases including asylum seekers when they live in private households (as opposed to reception centres or hostels for immigrants) and international students.   Flows derived from residence and/or work permits   Statistics on permits are generally based on the number of permits issued during a given period and depend on the types of permits used. The so-called “settlement countries” (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) consider as immigrants persons who have been granted the right of permanent residence. Statistics on temporary immigrants are also published in this database for these countries since the legal duration of their residence is often similar to long-term migration (over a year). In the case of France, the permits covered are those valid for at least one year (excluding students). Data for Italy and Portugal include temporary migrants.   Another characteristic of permit data is that flows of nationals are not recorded. Some flows of foreigners may also not be recorded, either because the type of permit they hold is not tabulated in the statistics or because they are not required to have a permit (freedom of movement agreements). In addition, permit data do not necessarily reflect physical flows or actual lengths of stay since: i) permits may be issued overseas but individuals may decide not to use them, or delay their arrival; ii) permits may be issued to persons who have in fact been resident in the country for some time, the permit indicating a change of status, or a renewal of the same permit.   Permit data may be influenced by the processing capacity of government agencies. In some instances a large backlog of applications may build up and therefore the true demand for permits may only emerge once backlogs are cleared.   Flows estimated from specific surveys   Ireland provides estimates based on the results of Quarterly National Household Surveys and other sources such as permit data and asylum applications. These estimates are revised periodically on the basis of census data. Data for the United Kingdom are based on a survey of passengers entering or exiting the country by plane, train or boat (International Passenger Survey). One of the aims of this survey is to estimate the number and characteristics of migrants. The survey is based on a random sample of approximately one out of every 500 passengers. The figures were revised significantly following the latest census in each of these two countries, which seems to indicate that these estimates do not constitute an “ideal” source either. Australia and New Zealand also conduct passenger surveys which enable them to establish the length of stay on the basis of migrants’ stated intentions when they enter or exit the country.