ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of Asia’s major demographic data sources. Two broad categories of data are identified. Primary data refer to sources provided by those who collect those data, such as population censuses, vital registration and a variety of surveys and surveillance systems. Secondary data refer to compilations of primary data or derived estimates based on primary data and/or other sources of information. The chapter also reviews a variety of methods for evaluating the quality of demographic data sources. These include consistency checks, indirect estimation techniques and the demographic balancing equation – a fundamental accounting identity which requires that population change result from differences in births, deaths and net migration. References include a variety of online links to currently available data sources.
