Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Population and migration statistics show births, deaths and migration movements. Where possible, data are split by gender, marital status, citizenship, and age groups.
3.2. Classification system
Not applicable.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not applicable.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Please indicate the definition of:
Population
The mother's residence
The data deaths
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
x
x
x
3.4.2 Please describe the national definition of:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Persons entitled to stay in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months (Liechtenstein nationals and foreigners with long-term residence permits; as a proxy for the intention to stay) and persons with short-term residence permits who have lived in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time (legal residence population).
In national terminology, these persons form the permanent resident population. Persons who are entitled to stay in Liechtenstein on the reference date and who do not meet the other criteria are part of the non-permanent resident population.
Mother of a child or a child has to be part of the legal residence population.
Death of persons who are part of the legal residence population.
Long-term immigrants: Persons who have moved their legal residence to Liechtenstein less than 12 months before the reference date and who are part of the legal residence population on the reference date.
Long term emigrants: Persons who have moved their legal residence abroad less than 12 months before the reference date and who have been part of the legal residence population 12 months before the reference date.
3.4.3 Please provide details of the deviations of the national definition used from the usual residence definition.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Since no information on the intention to stay in the country is available, the duration of the entitlement to stay is assumed as the duration of the intention to stay.
Students who study in foreign countries are often part of the usual residence population since they retain their domicile in Liechtenstein.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
In case of survey as data source, please describe the target statistical population (one or more) which the data set refers to:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
3.7. Reference area
Data are available at national level of geographical detail.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data is available since 2010.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Counts of statistical units.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31st December). The reference period for vital events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year in which the migration occurred.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
For each publication a book of guidelines is created and updated every year. In there data quality issues are documented and will be improved. These guidelines are for internal use only, but in the document "Methods & Quality" which is part of every publication, the processes are described and published.
11.1. Quality assurance
In addition to the automatic checks of the data, the publication is controlled by a second person according to a rotating 4-eyes principle based on predefined rules.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The qualitiy of the data is good. The municipality report continously the arrival and departure of the inhabitants. As of December 31, each municipality sends the list of the persons living in the municipalty to the Office of Statistics. Any deviations between the Central Population Register and the recived data is corrected in collaboration with the municipality. Every month the data is loaded into a data warehouse and afterwards validated with 47 reports. The loading into the data warehouse is repeated until the validation is successful.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Every five years - the last time in spring 2023 - users of the statistical publications are invited to a survey for a feedback: Usage Survey
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Every five years users of the statistical publications are invited to a survey for a feedback: Usage Survey
12.3. Completeness
Not available.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Please report on the reasons for any unreliability of the data on:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Net migration
Under-coverage: A few persons in Liechtenstein are not registered. Usually these persons live in the household of their partner.
Over-coverage: Persons living abroad and failing to de-register in Liechtenstein (especially students) remain part of the legal residence population as long as they are entitled to stay in Liechtenstein.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
13.2. Sampling error
In case of survey as data source, please provide information on the part of the difference between a population value and an estimate thereof, derived from a random sample, which is due to the fact that only a subset of the population is enumerated.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
In case of survey as data source, please provide information on the error in survey estimates which cannot be attributed to sampling fluctuations.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Data concering migraton has the longest time delay, around 11 months.
14.2. Punctuality
All statistics were published on time, according to the publication calendar.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data are comparable over the entire country. Liechtenstein only reports national data.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Please provide information on the length of comparable time series (indicate the first reference year for which data are availble), reference periods at which series occur, the reasons for the breaks and treatments of them.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
The concept of the legal residence population has been in use since 1999 but has been slightly modified for reference year 2024 and onwards:
Since 2024 the definition of population in concept 3.4 is in use: Persons entitled to stay in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months (Liechtenstein nationals and foreigners with long-term residence permits) and persons with short-term residence permits who have lived in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time (legal residence population).
1999 - 2023: Differing from the definition since 2024, persons with certain types of residence permits (asylum seekers, people in need of protection) and certain reasons for admission (students) were not part of the legal residence population.
The differences in population figures resulting from the modification of the concept is generally very small (< 1%). Due to the high number of people in need of protection in 2023, the difference amounts to < 2% in this reference year.
since 1999
since 1999
since 2008
since 2008
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The population statistics and the migration statistics are fully coherent. Both statistics are based on the same set of data sources.
Not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
In early March provisional data about the size of the population is published. In September the value are revised and final data is published. The difference is maximum +/-15 people.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not available.
18.1. Source data
Please report on the data sources used for the first reference year and inform of any changes thereto, to produce:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Administrave data are used. Continous data collection. As of December 31, each municipality sends a list of all persons living in the municipalty to the Office of Statistics. Any deviations between the Central Population Register and the recived data is corrected in collaboration with the municipality.
18.3. Data collection
Administrave data are used. Continous data collection. As of December 31, each municipality sends the list of the persons living in the municipalty to the Office of Statistics. Any deviations between the Central Population Register and the recived data is corrected in collaboration with the municipality.
18.4. Data validation
As of December 31, each municipality sends the list of the persons living in the municipality to the Office of Statistics. Any deviations between the Central Population Register and the recived data is corrected in collaboration with the municipality. Every month the data are loaded into a data warehouse and afterwards validated with 47 reports. The loading into the data warehouse is repeated until the validation shows no errors.
18.5. Data compilation
Each registered person receives an identification number, which is used by all municipalities and through all processes. As all persons are registered with all required information, no imputations are needed.
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustments necessary.
Not available.
Population and migration statistics show births, deaths and migration movements. Where possible, data are split by gender, marital status, citizenship, and age groups.
25 June 2025
3.4.1 Please indicate the definition of:
Population
The mother's residence
The data deaths
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
x
x
x
3.4.2 Please describe the national definition of:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Persons entitled to stay in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months (Liechtenstein nationals and foreigners with long-term residence permits; as a proxy for the intention to stay) and persons with short-term residence permits who have lived in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time (legal residence population).
In national terminology, these persons form the permanent resident population. Persons who are entitled to stay in Liechtenstein on the reference date and who do not meet the other criteria are part of the non-permanent resident population.
Mother of a child or a child has to be part of the legal residence population.
Death of persons who are part of the legal residence population.
Long-term immigrants: Persons who have moved their legal residence to Liechtenstein less than 12 months before the reference date and who are part of the legal residence population on the reference date.
Long term emigrants: Persons who have moved their legal residence abroad less than 12 months before the reference date and who have been part of the legal residence population 12 months before the reference date.
3.4.3 Please provide details of the deviations of the national definition used from the usual residence definition.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Since no information on the intention to stay in the country is available, the duration of the entitlement to stay is assumed as the duration of the intention to stay.
Students who study in foreign countries are often part of the usual residence population since they retain their domicile in Liechtenstein.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
Legal residence is used.
Number of persons.
In case of survey as data source, please describe the target statistical population (one or more) which the data set refers to:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
not applicable.
Data are available at national level of geographical detail.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31st December). The reference period for vital events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year in which the migration occurred.
Please report on the reasons for any unreliability of the data on:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Net migration
Under-coverage: A few persons in Liechtenstein are not registered. Usually these persons live in the household of their partner.
Over-coverage: Persons living abroad and failing to de-register in Liechtenstein (especially students) remain part of the legal residence population as long as they are entitled to stay in Liechtenstein.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.
Counts of statistical units.
Each registered person receives an identification number, which is used by all municipalities and through all processes. As all persons are registered with all required information, no imputations are needed.
Please report on the data sources used for the first reference year and inform of any changes thereto, to produce:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Central Population Register. No major changes since the first reference year.
Data is published on a yearly basis.
Data concering migraton has the longest time delay, around 11 months.
Data are comparable over the entire country. Liechtenstein only reports national data.
Please provide information on the length of comparable time series (indicate the first reference year for which data are availble), reference periods at which series occur, the reasons for the breaks and treatments of them.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
The concept of the legal residence population has been in use since 1999 but has been slightly modified for reference year 2024 and onwards:
Since 2024 the definition of population in concept 3.4 is in use: Persons entitled to stay in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months (Liechtenstein nationals and foreigners with long-term residence permits) and persons with short-term residence permits who have lived in Liechtenstein for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time (legal residence population).
1999 - 2023: Differing from the definition since 2024, persons with certain types of residence permits (asylum seekers, people in need of protection) and certain reasons for admission (students) were not part of the legal residence population.
The differences in population figures resulting from the modification of the concept is generally very small (< 1%). Due to the high number of people in need of protection in 2023, the difference amounts to < 2% in this reference year.
