This chapter consists of
statistical data on population
characteristics from the last national census of population and housing in 1375, a comparison
between selected demographic items from previous censuses, and data on births,
marriages and divorces.
Following is a history of data production on population.
During Qajar period, about 90 years ago, some discontinuous efforts were made for enumeration, which were often ad hoc and regional.
In 1297 the Civil Registration Department was established to register the four vital events. Registration of data on births, deaths, marriages and divorces was a beginning for collection of information on the country's population and an incentive to assign an organization to collect the related data.
By the approval of a statute in 1303 , the responsibility of collection of required information was entrusted to the Ministry of the Interior. Undergoing several changes, the statute was legally approved by the former National Consultative Assembly and the Civil Registration Department was renamed "General Department of Statistics and Registration". The Department has continued its legal duties since 1349 under the revised title of "Civil Registration Organization".
Approval of the first Census
Act by the National Consultative Assembly in 1318 led to the implementation of
the first population census in
By the establishment of the General Department of Public Statistics and the implementation of the national census of population and housing in 1335, a new era began for the statistical activities, and subsequently different statistical surveys in various socio-economic areas were carried out every year. The increasing need of planning organizations for information and statistics as well as the need for a close cooperation between the main data producing organization and planning organizations led to the detachment of the General Department of Public Statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and its affiliation to the Plan Organization under the title of the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) in 1344.
As its first major activity, the SCI conducted a national census of population and housing in 1345.
The establishment act of the SCI was revised in 1353 due to some considerations.
After the approval of the new act and structural renewal of the Centre, it conducted the second national census of population and housing in 1355.
The 1365 National Census of Population and Housing was the first under the Islamic Republic of Iran, the results of which provided required information for socio-economic development planning for the country.
Unpredictable increase of population during the years 1355 to 1365 and extensive population movements due to the Iran-Iraq war (imposed war) exposed the statistical frames resulted from the 1365 National Census of Population and Housing to basic changes and this made the planners and accordingly the SCI find it essential to conduct a nationwide enumeration years before the next decennial census. This
enumeration, accompanied with a sample survey for the first time in the country, was implemented in 1991 under the title of "1370 Multi-round Population Survey".The fourth national census of population and housing was carried out in 1375, the results of which are now the most proper means of socio-economic development planning.
The statistics presented in this chapter consist of the 1375 National Census of Population and Housing results and a summary of previous censuses results including the 1370 Multi-round Population Survey. Moreover, statistics on the vital events of births, marriages and divorces have been extracted from registers prepared by the Civil Registration Organization.
As for statistics presented, the following should be taken into consideration:
1. Unification of Ostans statistics is based on changes made in administrative divisions included in tables 2.8, 2.9, 2.17, using the detailed results of the 1375 Population and Housing Census.
2. Due to some problems preventing production of reliable statistics on death, no related data is included.
Definitions and concepts
Population (under enumeration): members of all
private settled and institutional households whose usual place of residence is located in
families at Iranian embassies in foreign countries
are included in the population under enumeration.
Household: persons
living together in one residence, sharing their living expenses and eating
together constitute a household. A
person living alone also forms a household.
Private household: households
falling under above definition, which comprise
the greatest part of the country's
population.
Private settled household:
a household living in a permanent
residence at the time of the enumeration.
Private unsettled
household: a household not
living in a permanent residence at the time of the enumeration.This group of
households includes three types:
1. households either moving from one area to another or
living under tents
outside cities and villages at the time of the census
enumeration;
2. households that do not live in a permanent place and change their living places continually, such as gipsies;
3. households that do not live in a specific place and usually pass the night at parks, in ruined places, under bridges, etc.
Institutional household: persons
who share a common objective or characteristic such as military service, education, mental disorders, etc., living
together in an institution such as barracks, student dormitories, asylums, etc.
Age: number of completed years since the date of birth.
City (urban area): every district
with a municipality. In censuses before 1365, all Shahrestan centres (irrespective of their population
size) and places
with a population of 5000 persons and more were considered as city.
Village (rural area): one
or more contiguous places and lands (agricultural or non-agricultural) located outside city
borders and having independent registered or conventional boundaries. Any
village inhabited by one or more households at the time of
enumeration is considered as an "inhabited village",
otherwise, it is considered as an "uninhabited village".
Head of household: the
person in the household who is acknowledged the head by other household
members. If the household members are not able to nominate the head of
household, the oldest member of the household is considered as the household
head. In one-member households, the only member is considered the head.
Next of kin: spouse, child, father, mother, brother and sister of the
head of the household. Migrants: members
of private settled and institutional households who have changed their place of
residence during the years 1365 to 1375.
However, those members of household who have been away from their place of
residence because of education or occupation in another country, or captivity
and missing in action during the last ten years preceding the enumeration, but
have joined their households by the time of the census, are not regarded as
migrants.
Mean age: average
age of the population.
Median age: the
age which divides the population into two equal groups in number