1.1. Contact organisation
National Statistics Office - Malta
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Unit 01: Methodology and Research Unit
1.3. Contact name
Restricted from publication1.4. Contact person function
Restricted from publication1.5. Contact mail address
National Statistics Office, Lascaris Valletta VLT 2000
1.6. Contact email address
Restricted from publication1.7. Contact phone number
Restricted from publication1.8. Contact fax number
Restricted from publication2.1. Metadata last certified
24 March 20142.2. Metadata last posted
24 March 20142.3. Metadata last update
24 March 20143.1. Data description
The Census of Population and Housing is a form of national stocktaking which provides a complete count of the population and living quarters. It is one of the oldest and most reliable sources of information about the count, characteristics, composition and condition of the population in a country. The Census covers a wide spectrum of variables including the size of the population, age structure, citizenships and nationalities, educational attainment, economic activity, disability, housing, and household amenities as well as other major socio-economic characteristics. Census results influence a number of aspects of Maltese life: public policy-making; options and decisions of families and households; choices made by the elderly; initiatives and investments by the business sector and streams of research and development.
3.2. Classification system
Classification used in the census include:
- Geographical classfications: NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) and Malta Geographical Codes (MGC);
- ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education);
- ISCO-08 (International Standard Classification of Occupations);
- NACE Rev. 2 (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community).
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not applicable
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1. Statistical concepts and definitions - Usual residence
Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage.
Persons usually resident in the place of enumeration but absent, or expected to be absent, at the time of the census for less than one year shall be considered as temporarily absent persons and thus included in the total population. In contrast, persons living or expected to live outside the place of enumeration for one year or more shall not be considered as temporarily absent and shall therefore be excluded from the total population. This is regardless of the length of visits that they may pay to their families from time to time.
Persons who are enumerated but do not meet the criteria for usual residence in the place of enumeration, i.e. do not live or do not expect to live in the place of enumeration for a continuous period of at least 12 months, are considered temporarily present and are therefore not counted in the total resident population.
3.4.2. Statistical concepts and definitions - Sex
Sex is recorded in terms of the perceived sexual orientation of individuals.
3.4.3. Statistical concepts and definitions - Age
The age reached at the reference date (in completed years).
3.4.4. Statistical concepts and definitions - Marital status
Marital status is the (legal) conjugal status of an individual in relation to the marriage laws of the country (de jure status).
A person shall be classified according to his/her most recently acquired legal marital status at the reference date.
'Registered partnerships' are reported only by countries that have a legal framework regulating partnerships that:
(a) lead to legal conjugal obligations between two persons;
(b) are not marriages;
(c) prevent persons to commit themselves into multiple partnerships with different partners.
In countries where the legislation includes provisions for married partners to be 'legally separated', such 'legally separated' persons are classified under 'married'.
Civil unions entered into Maltese law in April 2014. Therefore, ‘partnership’ was not characterised by law up to census night, and thus it was not possible to identify ‘registered’ partnership as the legal status for persons living in consensual unions. For this reason, persons were identified according to their most recent legal marital status regardless of their relationship with their current partner. Similarly, same-sex marriage was not yet recognised in Malta either. For this reason, same-sex married couples residing in Malta who were enumerated in the 2011 Census had to acquire their legal marital status from a foreign state. The minimum age permitted by the Laws of Malta for a person to get married is 16 years. A law allowing divorce under certain conditions was enacted in Malta in 2011, and Maltese legislation includes the provision for the legal separation of married partners.
3.4.5. Statistical concepts and definitions - Family status
The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is, between parents and children.
Child (son/daughter) refers to a blood, step- or adopted son or daughter (regardless of age or marital status) who has usual residence in the household of at least one of the parents, and who has no partner or own children in the same household. Foster children are not included. A son or daughter who lives with a spouse, with a registered partner, with a partner in a consensual union, or with one or more own children, is not considered to be a child. A child who alternates between two households (for instance if his or her parents are divorced) shall consider the one where he or she spends the majority of the time as his or her household. Where an equal amount of time is spent with both parents the household shall be the one where the child is found at the time on census night.
The term couple shall include married couples, couples in registered partnerships, and couples who live in a consensual union.
Registered partnerships are reported only by countries that have a legal framework regulating partnerships that:
(a) lead to legal conjugal obligations between two persons;
(b) are not marriages;
(c) prevent persons to commit themselves into multiple partnerships with different partners.
Two persons are considered to be partners in a 'consensual union' when they
— belong to the same household, and
— have a marriage-like relationship with each other, and
— are not married to or in a registered partnership with each other.
'Skip-generation households' (households consisting of a grandparent or grandparents and one or more grandchildren, but no parent of those grandchildren) are not included in the definition of a family.
3.4.6. Statistical concepts and definitions - Household status
Private households may be defined according to the 'housekeeping concept', or, if this is not possible, Member States may apply the 'household-dwelling' concept.
1. Housekeeping concept
According to the housekeeping concept, a private household is either:
(a) A one-person household, that is a person who lives alone in a separate housing unit or who occupies, as a lodger, a separate room (or rooms) of a housing unit but does not join with any of the other occupants of the housing unit to form part of a multiperson household as defined below; or
(b) A multiperson household, that is a group of two or more persons who combine to occupy the whole or part of a housing unit and to provide themselves with food and possibly other essentials for living. Members of the group may pool their incomes to a greater or lesser extent.
2. Household-dwelling concept
The household-dwelling concept considers all persons living in a housing unit to be members of the same household, such that there is one household per occupied housing unit. In the household dwelling concept, then, the number of occupied housing units and the number of households occupying them is equal, and the locations of the housing units and house holds are identical.
The category 'Persons living in a private household' comprises 'Persons in a family nucleus' and 'Persons not in a family nucleus'. The category 'Persons in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who belong to a private household that contains a family nucleus of which they are a member. 'Persons not in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who either belong to a non-family household or to a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household.
A non-family household can be a one-person household ('Living alone') or a multiperson household without any family nucleus. The category 'Not living alone' comprises persons that live either in a multiperson household without any family nucleus or in a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household. Persons who belong to a skip-generation household and who are not member of any family nucleus in that household shall be classified in the optional category 'Persons living in a household with relative(s)'.
The term 'son/daughter' is defined as the term 'child' in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'. 'Husband/wife couple' means a married opposite-sex couple.
'Registered partnership' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Legal marital status'. 'Consensual union' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'.
The category 'Partners' comprises 'Persons in a married couple', 'Partners in a registered partnership' and 'Partners in a consensual union'.
'Primary homeless persons' are persons living in the streets without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters as defined in the technical specifications for the topic 'Type of living quarters'.
In Malta, the housekeeping concept was applied to identify private households while occupied dwellings were also identified. Relationships between household members were collected in two ways: using the relation to the reference person as well as a ‘simplified’ relationship matrix, where all members had to indicate their corresponding wife/husband, cohabiting partner, mother and father. This combination was tested during the piloting phase and proved to be the best option to simplify the data collection process as well as to guarantee a good level of data being collected.
The narrow sense of family nucleus was employed to identify families, i.e. families comprised a couple without children, a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. Relationships between children and adults were limited to the relationships between parents and children. A child was identified as a blood, step- or adopted son or daughter (regardless of age or marital status) who has a usual residence of at least one of the parents, and who has no partner or own child(ren) in the same household. Grandsons and granddaughters who have usual residence in the household of at least one grandparent while there are no parents, own child(ren), or partners, were also considered as children.
3.4.7. Statistical concepts and definitions - Current activity status
Current activity status' is the current relationship of a person to economic activity, based on a reference period of one week, which may be either a specified, recent, fixed, calendar week, or the last complete calendar week, or the last seven days prior to enumeration.
The 'currently economically active population' comprises all persons who fulfil the requirements for inclusion among the employed or the unemployed.
'Employed' persons comprise all persons aged 15 years or over who during the reference week:
(a) performed at least one hour of work for pay or profit, in cash or in kind, or
(b) were temporarily absent from a job in which they had already worked and to which they maintained a formal attachment, or from a self-employment activity.
The 'unemployed' comprise all persons aged 15 years or over who were:
(a) 'without work', that is, were not in wage employment or self-employment during the reference week; and
(b) 'currently available for work', that is, were available for wage employment or self-employment during the reference week and for two weeks after that; and
(c) 'seeking work', that is, had taken specific steps to seek wage employment or self-employment within four weeks ending with the reference week.
The category 'Currently not economically active' includes persons below the national minimum age for economic activity.
In ascribing a single activity status to each person, priority is given to the status of 'employed' in preference to 'unemployed', and to the status of 'unemployed' in preference to 'not economically active'.
3.4.8. Statistical concepts and definitions - Occupation
Occupation' refers to the type of work done in a job (that is the main tasks and duties of the work). Persons doing more than one job are allocated an occupation based on their main job, which is identified according to the time spent on the job or, if not available, to the income received.
The breakdown by occupation is available for persons aged 15 or over that were:
— employed during the reference week, or
— unemployed during the reference week, but have ever been in employment
Persons are classified according to the occupation they had during their most recent employment. The categories included in the breakdown 'occupation' correspond to the major groups of the ISCO-08 (COM) classification.
Persons under the age of 15 years, as well as persons aged 15 or over that were:
— not economically active during the reference week, or
— unemployed, never worked before (i.e. they have never been employed in their lives)
are classified under 'not applicable'.
The allocation of a person within the breakdowns of the topics 'Occupation', 'Industry' and 'Status in employment' is based on the same job.
3.4.9. Statistical concepts and definitions - Industry
Industry (branch of economic activity) is the kind of production or activity of the establishment (or similar unit) in which the job of a currently economically active person is located.
Persons doing more than one job shall be allocated an industry (branch of economic activity) based on their main job, which is to be identified according to the time spent on the job or (if not available) the income received.
The breakdown by industry is available for persons aged 15 or over that were:
— employed during the reference week, or
— unemployed during the reference week, but have ever been in employment
Persons are classified according to the industry they worked in during their most recent employment. The categories included in the breakdown 'industry' list the 21 sections of the NACE Rev. 2 classification and appropriate aggregates.
Persons under the age of 15 years, as well as persons aged 15 or over that were:
— not economically active during the reference week, or
— unemployed, and have never worked before (i.e. have never been employed in their lives)
are classified under 'not applicable'.
The allocation of a person within the breakdowns of the topics 'Occupation', 'Industry' and 'Status in employment' is based on the same job.
3.4.10. Statistical concepts and definitions - Status in employment
An 'employee' is a person who works in a 'paid employment' job, that is, a job where the explicit or implicit contract of employment gives the incumbent a basic remuneration, which is independent of the revenue of the unit for which he/she works.
An 'employer' is a person who, working on his or her own account or with a small number of partners, holds a 'self-employment' job and, in this capacity, on a continuous basis (including the reference week) has engaged one or more persons to work for him/her as 'employees'.
If a person is both employer and employee, he/she shall be allocated to only one group according to the time spent on the job or (if not available) the income received.
An 'own-account worker' is a person who, working on his/her own account or with one or a few partners, holds a 'self-employment job' and has not engaged, on a continuous basis (including the reference week), any 'employees'.
A 'contributing family worker' is a person who:
— holds a 'self-employment’ job in a market-oriented establishment operated by a related person, living in the same household, and
— cannot be regarded as a partner (that is an employer or own-account worker) because the degree of commitment to the operation of the establishment, in terms of working time or other factors to be determined by national circumstances, is not at a level comparable to that of the head of the establishment.
A 'member of a producers' cooperative' is a person who holds a 'self-employment' job in an establishment organised as a cooperative, in which each member takes part on an equal footing with other members in determining the organisation of production, sales and/or other work, the investments and the distribution of the proceeds among the members.
3.4.11. Statistical concepts and definitions - Place of work
The location of the place of work is the geographical area in which a currently employed person does his/her job.
The place of work of those mostly working at home is the same as their usual residence. The term 'working' refers to work done as an 'employed person' as defined under the topic 'Current activity status'. 'Mostly' working at home means that the person spends all or most of the time working at home, and less, or no, time in a place of work other than at home.
3.4.12. Statistical concepts and definitions - Educational attainment
'Educational attainment' refers to the highest level successfully completed in the educational system of the country where the education was received. All education which is relevant to the completion of a level is taken into account even if this was provided outside schools and universities.
Persons aged 15 years or over are classified under only one of the categories according to their educational attainment (highest completed level). Persons under the age of 15 years are classified under 'not applicable'.
3.4.13. Statistical concepts and definitions - Size of the locality
A locality is defined as a distinct population cluster, that is an area defined by population living in neighbouring or contiguous buildings (i.e. local council). Such buildings may either:
(a) form a continuous built-up area with a clearly recognisable street formation; or
(b) though not part of such a built-up area, comprise a group of buildings to which a locally recognised place name is uniquely attached; or
(c) though not meeting either of the above two criteria, constitute a group of buildings, none of which is separated from its nearest neighbour by more than 200 metres.
3.4.14. Statistical concepts and definitions - Place of birth
Place of birth is defined as the place of usual residence of the mother at the time of the birth, or, if not available, as the place in which the birth took place.
Information on the country of birth is based on the international boundaries existing on 1 January 2011. 'EU Member State', in particular, means a country that is a member of the European Union on 1 January 2011. The list of countries in the breakdown 'country/place of birth' serves only for statistical purposes.
For reporting countries that are EU Member States, the sub-category under the category 'other EU Member State' that refers to their Member State does not apply. For reporting countries that are not EU Member States, the category 'Other EU Member State' shall be read as 'EU Member State'.
The category 'Information not classifiable according to current borders' covers those persons whose country of birth existed at the time of the birth, but no longer exists at the time of the census, and who cannot be allocated uniquely to one country existing at the time of the census, i.e. according to current borders.
The category 'outside any country' covers persons for whom the usual residence of the mother at the time of the birth is not known and who were born outside the borders of any country, for example at sea or in the air.
3.4.15. Statistical concepts and definitions - Country of citizenship
Citizenship is defined as the particular legal bond between an individual and his/her State, acquired by birth or naturalisation, whether by declaration, option, marriage or other means according to the national legislation.
A person with two or more citizenships is allocated to only one country of citizenship, to be determined in the following order of precedence:
1. reporting country; or
2. if the person does not have the citizenship of the reporting country: other EU Member State; 3. if the person does not have the citizenship of another EU Member State: other country outside the European Union.
'EU Member State' means a country that is a member of the European Union on 1 January 2011. The list of countries in the breakdown 'Country of citizenship' shall only apply for statistical purposes.
For reporting countries that are EU Member States, the sub-category of the category 'citizenship not of reporting country, but other EU Member State' that refers to their Member State does not apply. For reporting countries that are not EU Member States, the category 'citizenship not of reporting country, but other EU Member State' shall be changed to 'citizenship of an EU Member State'.
Persons who are neither citizens of any country nor stateless and who have some but not all of the rights and duties associated with citizenship shall be classified under 'recognised non-citizens'.
3.4.16. Statistical concepts and definitions - Year of arrival in the country
The year of arrival is the calendar year in which a person most recently established usual residence in the country. The data for 2011 refer to the time span between 1 January 2011 and the reference date.
3.4.17. Statistical concepts and definitions - Residence one year before
This indicates the relationship between the current place of usual residence and the place of usual residence one year prior to the census. Children under one year of age are classified under 'Not applicable'.
For all persons that have changed their usual residence more than once within the year prior to the reference date, the previous place of usual residence is the last usual residence from which they moved to their current place of usual residence.
3.4.18. Statistical concepts and definitions - Housing arrangements
The topic 'Housing arrangements' covers the whole population and refers to the type of housing in which a person usually resides at the time of the census. This covers all persons who are usual residents in different types of living quarters, or who do not have a usual residence and stay temporarily in some type of living quarters, or who are roofless, sleeping rough or in emergency shelters, when the census is taken.
Occupants are persons with their usual residence in the places listed in the respective category.
'Conventional dwellings' are structurally separate and independent premises at fixed locations which are designed for permanent human habitation and are, at the reference date, either used as a residence, or vacant, or reserved for seasonal or secondary use.
'Separate' means surrounded by walls and covered by a roof or ceiling so that one or more persons can isolate themselves. 'Independent' means having direct access from a street or a staircase, passage, gallery or grounds.
'Other housing units' are huts, cabins, shacks, shanties, caravans, houseboats, barns, mills, caves or any other shelter used for human habitation at the time of the census, irrespective if it was designed for human habitation.
'Collective living quarters' are premises which are designed for habitation by large groups of individuals or several households and which are used as the usual residence of at least one person at the time of the census.
'Occupied conventional dwellings', 'other housing units' and 'collective living quarters' together represent 'living quarters'. Any 'living quarter' must be the usual residence of at least one person.
The sum of occupied conventional dwellings and other housing units represents 'housing units'.
The homeless (persons who are not usual residents in any living quarter category) can be persons living in the streets without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters (primary homelessness) or persons moving frequently between temporary accommodations (secondary homelessness).
3.4.19. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of family nucleus
The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children.
Child (son/daughter) refers to a blood, step- or adopted son or daughter (regardless of age or marital status) who has usual residence in the household of at least one of the parents, and who has no partner or own children in the same household. Foster children are not included. A son or daughter who lives with a spouse, with a registered partner, with a partner in a consensual union, or with one or more own children, is not considered to be a child. A child who alternates between two households (for instance if his or her parents are divorced) shall consider the one where he or she spends the majority of the time as his or her household. Where an equal amount of time is spent with both parents the household shall be the one where the child is found at the time on census night.
The term couple shall include married couples, couples in registered partnerships, and couples who live in a consensual union.
Registered partnerships are reported only by countries that have a legal framework regulating partnerships that:
(a) lead to legal conjugal obligations between two persons;
(b) are not marriages;
(c) prevent persons to commit themselves into multiple partnerships with different partners.
Two persons are considered to be partners in a 'consensual union' when they
— belong to the same household, and
— have a marriage-like relationship with each other, and
— are not married to or in a registered partnership with each other.
'Skip-generation households' (households consisting of a grandparent or grandparents and one or more grandchildren, but no parent of those grandchildren) are not included in the definition of a family.
3.4.20. Statistical concepts and definitions - Size of family nucleus
The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children.
Child (son/daughter) refers to a blood, step- or adopted son or daughter (regardless of age or marital status) who has usual residence in the household of at least one of the parents, and who has no partner or own children in the same household. Foster children are not included. A son or daughter who lives with a spouse, with a registered partner, with a partner in a consensual union, or with one or more own children, is not considered to be a child. A child who alternates between two households (for instance if his or her parents are divorced) shall consider the one where he or she spends the majority of the time as his or her household. Where an equal amount of time is spent with both parents the household shall be the one where the child is found at the time on census night.
The term couple shall include married couples, couples in registered partnerships, and couples who live in a consensual union.
Registered partnerships are reported only by countries that have a legal framework regulating partnerships that:
(a) lead to legal conjugal obligations between two persons;
(b) are not marriages;
(c) prevent persons to commit themselves into multiple partnerships with different partners.
Two persons are considered to be partners in a 'consensual union' when they
— belong to the same household, and
— have a marriage-like relationship with each other, and
— are not married to or in a registered partnership with each other.
'Skip-generation households' (households consisting of a grandparent or grandparents and one or more grandchildren, but no parent of those grandchildren) are not included in the definition of a family.
3.4.21. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of private household
Private households may be defined according to the 'housekeeping concept' , or, if this is not possible, Member States may apply the 'household-dwelling' concept.
1. Housekeeping concept
According to the housekeeping concept, a private household is either:
(a) A one-person household, that is a person who lives alone in a separate housing unit or who occupies, as a lodger, a separate room (or rooms) of a housing unit but does not join with any of the other occupants of the housing unit to form part of a multiperson household as defined below; or
(b) A multiperson household, that is a group of two or more persons who combine to occupy the whole or part of a housing unit and to provide themselves with food and possibly other essentials for living. Members of the group may pool their incomes to a greater or lesser extent.
2. Household-dwelling concept
The household-dwelling concept considers all persons living in a housing unit to be members of the same household, such that there is one household per occupied housing unit. In the household dwelling concept, then, the number of occupied housing units and the number of households occupying them is equal, and the locations of the housing units and house holds are identical.
The category 'Persons living in a private household' comprises 'Persons in a family nucleus' and 'Persons not in a family nucleus'. The category 'Persons in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who belong to a private household that contains a family nucleus of which they are a member. 'Persons not in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who either belong to a non-family household or to a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household.
A non-family household can be a one-person household ('Living alone') or a multiperson household without any family nucleus. The category 'Not living alone' comprises persons that live either in a multiperson household without any family nucleus or in a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household. Persons who belong to a skip-generation household and who are not member of any family nucleus in that household shall be classified in the optional category 'Persons living in a household with relative(s)'.
The term 'son/daughter' is defined as the term 'child' in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'. 'Husband/wife couple' means a married opposite-sex couple.
'Registered partnership' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Legal marital status'. 'Consensual union' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'.
The category 'Partners' comprises 'Persons in a married couple', 'Partners in a registered partnership' and 'Partners in a consensual union'.
'Primary homeless persons' are persons living in the streets without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters as defined in the technical specifications for the topic 'Type of living quarters'.
3.4.22. Statistical concepts and definitions - Size of private household
Private households may be defined according to the 'housekeeping concept' , or, if this is not possible, Member States may apply the 'household-dwelling' concept.
1. Housekeeping concept
According to the housekeeping concept, a private household is either:
(a) A one-person household, that is a person who lives alone in a separate housing unit or who occupies, as a lodger, a separate room (or rooms) of a housing unit but does not join with any of the other occupants of the housing unit to form part of a multiperson household as defined below; or
(b) A multiperson household, that is a group of two or more persons who combine to occupy the whole or part of a housing unit and to provide themselves with food and possibly other essentials for living. Members of the group may pool their incomes to a greater or lesser extent.
2. Household-dwelling concept
The household-dwelling concept considers all persons living in a housing unit to be members of the same household, such that there is one household per occupied housing unit. In the household dwelling concept, then, the number of occupied housing units and the number of households occupying them is equal, and the locations of the housing units and house holds are identical.
The category 'Persons living in a private household' comprises 'Persons in a family nucleus' and 'Persons not in a family nucleus'. The category 'Persons in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who belong to a private household that contains a family nucleus of which they are a member. 'Persons not in a family nucleus' comprises all persons who either belong to a non-family household or to a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household.
A non-family household can be a one-person household ('Living alone') or a multiperson household without any family nucleus. The category 'Not living alone' comprises persons that live either in a multiperson household without any family nucleus or in a family household without being member of any family nucleus in that household. Persons who belong to a skip-generation household and who are not member of any family nucleus in that household shall be classified in the optional category 'Persons living in a household with relative(s)'.
The term 'son/daughter' is defined as the term 'child' in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'. 'Husband/wife couple' means a married opposite-sex couple.
'Registered partnership' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Legal marital status'. 'Consensual union' is defined as in the technical specifications for the topic 'Family status'.
The category 'Partners' comprises 'Persons in a married couple', 'Partners in a registered partnership' and 'Partners in a consensual union'.
'Primary homeless persons' are persons living in the streets without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters as defined in the technical specifications for the topic 'Type of living quarters'.
3.4.23. Statistical concepts and definitions - Tenure status of household
The topic 'Tenure status of households' refers to the arrangements under which a private household occupies all or part of a housing unit.
Households that are in the process of paying off a mortgage on the housing unit in which they live or purchasing their housing unit over time under other financial arrangements are classified under 'Households of which at least one member is the owner of the housing unit'.
Households of which at least one member is the owner of the housing unit and at least one member tenant of all or part of the housing unit are classified under category 'Households of which at least one member is the owner of the housing unit'.
3.4.24. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of living quarter
'Conventional dwellings' are structurally separate and independent premises at fixed locations which are designed for permanent human habitation and are, at the reference date, either used as a residence, or vacant, or reserved for seasonal or secondary use.
'Separate' means surrounded by walls and covered by a roof or ceiling so that one or more persons can isolate themselves. 'Independent' means having direct access from a street or a staircase, passage, gallery or grounds.
'Other housing units' are huts, cabins, shacks, shanties, caravans, houseboats, barns, mills, caves or any other shelter used for human habitation at the time of the census, irrespective if it was designed for human habitation.
'Collective living quarters' are premises which are designed for habitation by large groups of individuals or several households and which are used as the usual residence of at least one person at the time of the census.
'Occupied conventional dwellings', 'other housing units' and 'collective living quarters' together represent'‘living quarters'. Any 'living quarter' must be the usual residence of at least one person.
3.4.25. Statistical concepts and definitions - Occupancy status
'Occupied conventional dwellings' are conventional dwellings which are the usual residence of one or more persons at the time of the census. 'Unoccupied conventional dwellings' are conventional dwellings which are not the usual residence of any person at the time of the census.
Conventional dwellings with persons present but not included in the census are classified under the category 'Dwellings reserved for seasonal or secondary use'.
3.4.26. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of ownership
The topic 'Type of ownership' refers to the ownership of the dwelling and not to that of the land on which the dwelling stands.
'Owner-occupied dwellings' are those where at least one occupant of the dwelling owns parts or the whole of the dwelling. 'Cooperative ownership' refers to ownership within the framework of a housing cooperative.
'Rented dwellings' are those where at least one occupant pays a rent for the occupation of the dwelling, and where no occupant owns parts or the whole of the dwelling.
3.4.27. Statistical concepts and definitions - Number of occupants
The number of occupants of a housing unit is the number of people for whom the housing unit is the usual residence.
3.4.28. Statistical concepts and definitions - Useful floor space
Not available.
3.4.29. Statistical concepts and definitions - Number of rooms
A 'room' is defined as a space in a housing unit enclosed by walls reaching from the floor to the ceiling or roof, of a size large enough to hold a bed for an adult (4 square metres at least) and at least 2 metres high over the major area of the ceiling.
3.4.30. Statistical concepts and definitions - Density standard (floor space)
Not available.
3.4.31. Statistical concepts and definitions - Density standard (number of rooms)
The topic ‘Density standard’ relates the useful floor space in square metres or the number of rooms to the number of occupants, as specified under the topic 'Number of occupants'.
Data report on the density standard measured by the 'useful floor space', or, if not possible, by the 'number of rooms'.
3.4.32. Statistical concepts and definitions - Water supply system
This topic relates to water supply systems for occupied conventional dwellings, and a distinction is made between piped and non-piped systems.
3.4.33. Statistical concepts and definitions - Toilet facilities
This topic relates to toilet facilities for occupied conventional dwellings, and a distinction is made between flush and non-flush toilets.
3.4.34. Statistical concepts and definitions - Bathing facilities
A bathing facility is any facility designed to wash the whole body and includes shower facilities.
3.4.35. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of heating
A housing unit is considered as centrally heated if heating is provided either from a community heating centre or from an installation built in the building or in the housing unit, established for heating purposes, without regard to the source of energy.
3.4.36. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of building
The topic 'Dwellings by type of building' refers to the number of dwellings in the building in which the dwelling is placed.
3.4.37. Statistical concepts and definitions - Period of construction
The topic 'Dwellings by period of construction' refers to the year when the building in which the dwelling is placed was completed.
3.5. Statistical unit
The EU programme for the 2011 population and housing censuses include data on persons, private households, family nuclei, conventional dwellings and living quarters
3.6. Statistical population
Persons enumerated in the 2011 census are those who were usually resident in the territory of the reporting country at the census reference date. Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage
3.7. Reference area
Data are available at different levels of geographical detail: national, NUTS2, NUTS3 and local administrative units (LAU2)
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data refer to the situation in Malta at the census reference date (namely 20 November 2011)
3.9. Base period
The base year is 2011
Persons, Families, Households, Occupied Dwellings, Unoccupied dwellings (completely vacant and dwellings for seasonal or secondary use) are all recorded in absolute amounts.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Common reminder of EU legislation
6.1.1. Bodies responsible
The Census Officer was responsible for the entire Census process and all staff were answerable to him. In this task, he was assisted by Chief Coordinators who ran the Census Office and who, together with a group of District Managers, were responsible for field operations. Each District Manager was responsible for a number of localities, to ensure the smooth running of the process, while each Supervisor was responsible for a group of Enumerators. The main task of the Supervisor was to co-ordinate and control the work of Enumerators. Supervisors and Enumerators were required to work closely together in the course of their duties.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not available.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Article 3(3) together with Article 2(8) of Regulation (EU) No 519/2010 stipulate that Member States can replace a numerical cell value by the special value ‘not available’ if the numerical cell value must not be disclosed to protect the statistical confidentiality of the data in accordance with the Member States’ statistical disclosure control. The statistical disclosure policy employed at the NSO may be viewed here: http://www.nso.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=682.
No statistical disclosure control was applied on census for the treating of statistical confidentiality of data transmitted to Eurostat.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
All information that was collected during the Census is strictly confidential. Any breach of confidentiality by any third party renders him/her liable to a fine and/or imprisonment in terms of the Census Act of 1948. The statistical disclosure policy employed at the NSO may be viewed here: http://www.nso.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=682.
No statistical disclosure control was applied on census for the treating of statistical confidentiality of data transmitted to Eurostat.
8.1. Release calendar
Data are made available 27 months after the end of the reference period (March 2014)
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable
8.3. Release policy - user access
The general public is informed about any new releases of data through press information notices. A number of publications and press releases outlining the Census results are also made available to the public in due course in various forms, including two publications and a series of press releases.
Data on population and housing censuses are disseminated every decade
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
News releases on census data are issued sporadically
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
A preliminary report outlining the main population characteristics is normally issued within a couple of months after the launch of the census. A series of publications based on the final set of data for persons and dwellings are normally published one year later.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Census microdata is not available through the NSO on-line database (known as StatDb)
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Anonymised Census microdata may be available for research purposes upon request. This may be requested through the following link: http://www.nso.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=682
10.5. Dissemination format - other
No other dissemination means are utilised.
11.1. Documentation on methodology
Meta-information about the census is included in all census publications, which are available on the NSO website.
11.2. Quality management - documentation
Quality-related issues pertaining to the census are included in all census publications, which are available on the NSO website.
12.1. Quality assurance
Quality-related issues pertaining to the census are included in all census publications, which are available on the NSO website.
12.2. Quality management - assessment
12.2.1. Coverage assessment
A final coverage rate of 96.2 per cent was observed while item non-response varied according by topic.
12.2.2. Post-enumeration survey(s)
In order to ensure a high-coverage rate the Census Office made extensive use of a number of in-house and external administrative registers throughout the enumeration process to monitor those individuals and households who did not provide the required information.
These registers also played an important role in the post-enumeration process, where the Census Office tried to make contact with those households which did not reply during the census period to assess the overall coverage of the census. Approximately 3.8 per cent of data was retrieved through administrative records. These were identified through the follow-up exercise which was carried out between August and October 2012, where all households where it appeared that some identity number had not been tagged were contacted.
13.1. Relevance - User Needs
The census data disseminated by Eurostat are addressed to policy makers, researchers, media and the general public.
13.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No user satisfaction surveys are carried out. User inquiries are handled by the Eurostat User Support service.
13.3. Completeness
Depends on the availability of data transmitted by the National Statistical Institutes.
14.1. Accuracy - overall
14.1.1. Accuracy overall - Usual residence
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.2. Accuracy overall - Sex
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.3. Accuracy overall - Age
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.4. Accuracy overall - Marital status
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.5. Accuracy overall - Family status
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.6. Accuracy overall - Household status
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.7. Accuracy overall - Current activity status
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.8. Accuracy overall - Occupation
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.9. Accuracy overall - Industry
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.10. Accuracy overall - Status in employment
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.11. Accuracy overall - Place of work
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.12. Accuracy overall - Educational attainment
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.13. Accuracy overall - Size of the locality
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.14. Accuracy overall - Place of birth
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.15. Accuracy overall - Country of citizenship
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.16. Accuracy overall - Year of arrival in the country
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.17. Accuracy overall - Residence one year before
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.18. Accuracy overall - Housing arrangements
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.19. Accuracy overall - Type of family nucleus
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.20. Accuracy overall - Size of family nucleus
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.21. Accuracy overall - Type of private household
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.22. Accuracy overall - Size of private household
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.23. Accuracy overall - Tenure status of household
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.24. Accuracy overall - Type of living quarter
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.25. Accuracy overall - Occupancy status
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic. However, for a significant proportion of unoccupied dwellings the occupancy status was unknown and had to be imputed.
14.1.26. Accuracy overall - Type of ownership
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.27. Accuracy overall - Number of occupants
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.28. Accuracy overall - Useful floor space
Not applicable.
14.1.29. Accuracy overall - Number of rooms
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.30. Accuracy overall - Density standard (floor space)
Not applicable.
14.1.31. Accuracy overall - Density standard (number of rooms)
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.32. Accuracy overall - Water supply system
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.33. Accuracy overall - Toilet facilities
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.34. Accuracy overall - Bathing facilities
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.35. Overall accuracy - Type of heating
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic
14.1.36. Overall accuracy - Type of building
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic. However type of building could not be recorded for unoccupied dwellings.
In Malta, data on occupied dwellings is normally collected at source from its members and thus a vast number of variables could be collected. On the other hand, in absence of auxiliary information about the owners of vacant dwellings at micro level, it was not possible to trace the owner(s) of vacant dwellings during the census and therefore certain information such as the number of dwellings inside the building (which is not always evident from outside the building) could not be collected. In fact, information about vacant dwellings was limited to the type of dwelling, state of repair and occupancy status since such information had to be retrieved by the field officers either from third parties (neighbours, etc) or self judgement.
14.1.37. Overall accuracy - Period of construction
There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic. However period of construction was not recorded for unoccupied dwellings.
In Malta, data on occupied dwellings is normally collected at source from its members and thus a vast number of variables could be collected. On the other hand, in absence of auxiliary information about the owners of vacant dwellings at micro level, it was not possible to trace the owner(s) of vacant dwellings during the census and therefore certain information such as the period of construction could not be determined. In fact, information about vacant dwellings was limited to the type of dwelling, state of repair and occupancy status since such information had to be retrieved by the field officers either from third parties (neighbours, etc) or self judgement.
14.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
14.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable
15.1. Timeliness
Preliminary data (in aggregated form) was published in July 2012, while final data (in aggregated form) was published in March (persons) and April 2014 (dwellings). Final data in hypercube form was provided to Eurostat 27 months after the end of the reference year (2011) as specified in Reg. 1151/2010.
15.2. Punctuality
Not applicable
16.1. Comparability - geographical
Data reported to Eurostat conforms to the eligibility criteria established for all countries. In accordance with regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the definition of 'usual residence' is based on a 12 month reference period, in other words, those included should have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference date, or arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference date with the intention of staying there for at least one year.
There are no particular reasons for lack of comparability between countries.
16.2. Comparability - over time
Not applicable
17.1. Coherence - cross domain
Figures provided by the National Statistical Institutes in the framework of the 2011 Population and Housing Census may differ from those transmitted in other statistical domains due to the cross domain differences in definitions and methodologies used. For additional information please see metadata specific to each domain.
17.2. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence is assured by regulations defining breakdowns and definitions of topics (Regulation (EC) No 1201/2009, Regulation (EU) No 519/2010, Regulation (EU) No 1151/2010)
The total cost associated with the data collection for the census is estimated at €1.48 million.
19.1. Data revision - policy
The data revision policy employed at the NSO may be found here: http://www.nso.gov.mt/docs/Revisions_of_Official_Statistics.pdf
Annexes:
Data Revision Policy (NSO)
19.2. Data revision - practice
The terms and conditions under the data revision policy employed at the NSO may be found here: http://www.nso.gov.mt/docs/Revisions_of_Official_Statistics.pdf
20.1. Source data
20.1.1. List of data sources
20.1.1.1. List of data sources - data on persons
In Malta, the census was carried out the traditional way (through secondary data sources). For this reason, primary data sources available were only used for verification purposes and to cater for unit non-response. The following databases were particularly used along with other national registers in the post-enumeration exercise to trace any persons who were not enumerated during the initial stages of the Census:
- Common Database (CdB)
- Electoral Register (ER)
- Telephone Registers (local service providers)
- Automated Revenue Management Services (ARMS) Databases
20.1.1.2. List of data sources - data on households
In Malta, the census was carried out the traditional way (through secondary data sources). For this reason, primary data sources available were only used for verification purposes and to cater for unit non-response. The following databases were particularly used along with other national registers in the post-enumeration exercise to trace any households which were not enumerated during the initial stages of the Census:
- Common Database (CdB)
- Electoral Register (ER)
- Telephone Registers (local service providers)
- Automated Revenue Management Services (ARMS) Databases
20.1.1.3. List of data sources - data on family nuclei
No primary data source was used.
20.1.1.4. List of data sources - data on conventional dwellings
In Malta, the census was carried out the traditional way (through secondary data sources). For this reason, primary data sources available were only used for verification purposes and to cater for unit non-response. The following databases were particularly used along with other national registers in the post-enumeration exercise to trace any dwellings which were skipped during the initial stages of the Census:
- Common Database (CdB)
- Electoral Register (ER)
- Telephone Registers (local service providers)
- Automated Revenue Management Services (ARMS) Databases
20.1.1.5. List of data sources - data on living quarters
In Malta, the census was carried out the traditional way (through secondary data sources). For this reason, primary data sources available were only used for verification purposes and to cater for unit non-response. The following databases were particularly used along with other national registers in the post-enumeration exercise to trace any dwellings which were skipped during the initial stages of the Census:
- Common Database (CdB)
- Electoral Register (ER)
- Telephone Registers (local service providers)
- Automated Revenue Management Services (ARMS) Databases
20.1.2. Classification of data sources
20.1.2.1. Classification of data sources - data on persons
05.Combination of register-based censuses and conventional censuses20.1.2.2. Classification of data sources - data on households
05.Combination of register-based censuses and conventional censuses20.1.2.3. Classification of data sources - data on family nuclei
01.Conventional censuses20.1.2.4. Classification of data sources - data on conventional dwellings
05.Combination of register-based censuses and conventional censuses20.1.2.5. Classification of data sources - data on living quarters
05.Combination of register-based censuses and conventional censuses20.2. Frequency of data collection
Data on population and housing censuses are collected every decade, in a reference year that falls during the beginning of every decade
20.3. Data collection
The Census questionnaire ensured continuation with previous censuses that were carried out in Malta, and conformed to the recommendations, concepts and definitions on population censuses of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Eurostat. It was prepared in Maltese and English languages after a series of consultation meetings were held with a number of organisations in June and July 2011, and it was also pilot tested among a random sample of households in August 2011.
The Census Officer was responsible for the entire Census process and all staff were answerable to him. In this task, he was assisted by Chief Coordinators who ran the Census Office and who, together with a group of District Managers, were responsible for field operations. Each District Manager was responsible for a number of localities to ensure the smooth running of the process, while each Supervisor was responsible for a group of Enumerators. The main task of the Supervisor was to co-ordinate and control the work of Enumerators, who were ultimately responsible for the collection of Census questionnaires from households. Enumerators were also required to check the data provided by households to ensure that Census questionnaires were correctly filled in. A number of intensive briefing sessions on all aspects related to the Census were held both in Malta and Gozo in October and November 2011. All Census staff were requested to attend the sessions.
In a follow-up exercise which was carried out between August and October 2012, the Census Office mailed out a form to all those households where it appeared that someone had been left out. The list included also any non-Maltese nationals in possession of a local identity card. Results were benchmarked with administrative registers in order to reduce as much as reasonably possible the extent of under enumeration. From this exercise the corresponding under- and over-enumeration were calculated and duly accounted for.
20.4. Data validation
Wrong or inconsistent data was double-checked at source by the Enumerators, Supervisors and District Managers as well as at a later stage with the corresponding household members (if necessary). A number of in-built validations were included in the data-entry program to check the validity of keyed data by establishing acceptable values. These validation rules allowed skip patterns to be executed as intended and allowed the data entry persons to observe the problem whilst entering the data for the questionnaire. In case the errors were not noticed during the data-entry phase these were corrected or edited by the census office at the data editing stage, even though editing preserved the original data as much as possible. Nevertheless, original collected data was maintained and archived for reference. Available administrative sources and survey registers were used in order to improve the consistency of recorded data as well as for benchmarking purposes. In addition, the data-entry phase was split into two stages:
- during the Census period a set of key variables from all questionnaires that were received were entered on a daily basis. These included the residential address information and contact telephone number(s), name, surname, identification number, date of birth, sex, acquisition of Maltese nationality and place of usual residence. This enabled the Census Office to identify potential problem areas and take early corrective action.
- in the second phase all remaining variables were entered as a preparation for data editing.
20.5. Data compilation
During the second stage of the data-entry, a specialised team of coders was recruited to code census data accordingly, including the occupation and economic activity of individuals. Coding was split in shifts to ensure a smooth running of the process and all coders were duly supervised throughout the whole process. After this, the census office focused on data editing, including the verification, benchmarking and imputation (of both item and unit non response) of census data. Throughout this process, a number of reliable administrative registers were used. Unit non response was also accounted for through the post-enumeration survey which was carried out among a large number of households between August and October 2012. This exercise entailed the mailing out of a form to all households where it appeared that some identity card had not been tagged, including both Maltese and non-Maltese nationals in possession of a local identity card.
The final results contain a correction factor (replicated records and weights) accounting for under-enumeration based on the results of the follow-up survey that was carried out. Over-coverage resulted from persons being enumerated more than once and persons who did not meet the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the Maltese population (established through appropriate filtering questions in the Census form). These records were not considered for analysis.
20.6. Adjustment
Not applicable
Not applicable
The Census of Population and Housing is a form of national stocktaking which provides a complete count of the population and living quarters. It is one of the oldest and most reliable sources of information about the count, characteristics, composition and condition of the population in a country. The Census covers a wide spectrum of variables including the size of the population, age structure, citizenships and nationalities, educational attainment, economic activity, disability, housing, and household amenities as well as other major socio-economic characteristics. Census results influence a number of aspects of Maltese life: public policy-making; options and decisions of families and households; choices made by the elderly; initiatives and investments by the business sector and streams of research and development.
The EU programme for the 2011 population and housing censuses include data on persons, private households, family nuclei, conventional dwellings and living quarters
Persons enumerated in the 2011 census are those who were usually resident in the territory of the reporting country at the census reference date. Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage
Data are available at different levels of geographical detail: national, NUTS2, NUTS3 and local administrative units (LAU2)
Persons, Families, Households, Occupied Dwellings, Unoccupied dwellings (completely vacant and dwellings for seasonal or secondary use) are all recorded in absolute amounts.
During the second stage of the data-entry, a specialised team of coders was recruited to code census data accordingly, including the occupation and economic activity of individuals. Coding was split in shifts to ensure a smooth running of the process and all coders were duly supervised throughout the whole process. After this, the census office focused on data editing, including the verification, benchmarking and imputation (of both item and unit non response) of census data. Throughout this process, a number of reliable administrative registers were used. Unit non response was also accounted for through the post-enumeration survey which was carried out among a large number of households between August and October 2012. This exercise entailed the mailing out of a form to all households where it appeared that some identity card had not been tagged, including both Maltese and non-Maltese nationals in possession of a local identity card.
The final results contain a correction factor (replicated records and weights) accounting for under-enumeration based on the results of the follow-up survey that was carried out. Over-coverage resulted from persons being enumerated more than once and persons who did not meet the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the Maltese population (established through appropriate filtering questions in the Census form). These records were not considered for analysis.
Data on population and housing censuses are disseminated every decade
Preliminary data (in aggregated form) was published in July 2012, while final data (in aggregated form) was published in March (persons) and April 2014 (dwellings). Final data in hypercube form was provided to Eurostat 27 months after the end of the reference year (2011) as specified in Reg. 1151/2010.
Data reported to Eurostat conforms to the eligibility criteria established for all countries. In accordance with regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the definition of 'usual residence' is based on a 12 month reference period, in other words, those included should have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference date, or arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference date with the intention of staying there for at least one year.
There are no particular reasons for lack of comparability between countries.
Not applicable