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Belgium

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.

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Census 2011 round (cens_11r)

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National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

Compiling agency: Statistics Belgium - Service Public Fédéral Economie, PME, Classes moyennes et Energie

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12 September 2014

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)

1 January 2011

Counts of statistical units

Records from the various registers are usually coupled to each other using the national number for individuals as a key (the single identification number allocated by the Registre National des Personnes Physiques). However, other link variables are used in the following cases:

- In order to identify in which dwellings individuals live, the demographic data are coupled with those of the register of the Administration Générale de la Documentation Patrimoniale. The address is then used to facilitate a link between the various registrations.

- The first name associated with the surname, gender and date of birth are used to couple the demographic data and the information on education, for higher education in the French-speaking community (university and non-university) and for all education in the German-speaking community. In other cases, i.e. in the French-speaking community for compulsory education and in the Dutch-speaking community, the coupling key is still the national number.

The Registre National des Personnes Physiques is the source of primary data used to generate households and family nuclei. This database contains information on household composition: the members of the households as declared to the communal services and the reference person, defined as the member of the household who is the most often in contact with the commune. Moreover, the relationship of each household member with the reference person is known. To create the seven variables for the families/households area, the operational introduction of two concepts called for particular care.

First of all, it was necessary to assess the population living in a registered partnership. The Belgian concept of legal cohabitation differs from the definition favoured by Eurostat, since it does not imply a marital relationship between the two contracting parties. To obtain an assessment of the population in registered partnerships, individuals who are related to each other have been excluded from the population of legal cohabitants. The family relationships between individuals have been identified by the relationship with the reference person using data on family relationships.

The second Eurostat concept which is impossible to measure directly is consensual union. The population living as husband and wife without a contract within the same household has been evaluated either by the existence of a common child, or by using an algorithm based on potential partnerships. In each household, all individuals aged 18 or over and without a family link have been identified. The couple with the smallest age gap is then declared as living in consensual union.

- The business number is also used to couple certain records from the register of the Administration Générale de la Documentation Patrimoniale with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises in order to determine whether certain individuals are owners of the dwelling in which they live via their business. The link between the two databases is then established using the business number.

Data on population and housing censuses are disseminated every decade

The hypercubes were transmitted to Eurostat at the end of June, with the exception of five cubes concerning housing, which were submitted on 26 August 2014.

In general, the census is based on national registers which are uniform for all regions in the country.

One exception is as follows: the variable concerning the level of education was measured using various registers depending on the community in which the diploma was obtained. However, as seen previously, the information contained in these databases is not strictly identical. These differences between the registers of the different communities can be a source of bias in the regional comparisons of levels of education. The comparison between the communities in Belgium shows the same problems as the international comparison, given the specific national features of the education systems.