NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Foreword

The Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011 was carried out in the Republic of Croatia from 1 to 28 April 2011 according to the situation as on 31 March 2011 at midnight, which is deemed to be the census moment.

The Census was carried out on the basis of the Act on the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2011 (Official Gazette, No. 92/10).

In order to achieve the international comparability of data, the methodology used in the 2011 Census is in line with the Conference of European Statisticians Recommendations for the 2010 Censuses of Population and Housing as well as with the regulations (EC) Nos 763/2008 and 1201/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council, which regulate censuses of population and housing in the European Union.

Individual data collected in the Census may only be used for statistical purposes and will be expressed strictly in an aggregate form at the levels of the Republic of Croatia, counties, towns/municipalities and settlements.

Constitution of spatial units of the Republic of Croatia

The Census was carried out on the basis of official data from the Register of Spatial Units provided by the State Geodetic Administration.

According to the situation as on 31 March 2011, the Republic of Croatia had 21 counties (including the City of Zagreb), 127 towns, 429 municipalities and 6 756 settlements.

Total population

In the 2011 Census, according to the international statistical standards, the concept of place of usual residence is used in defining of the total population.

According to this concept, the total population of the census settlement, or a country respectively, consists of all persons whose place of usual residence is located in that settlement or country.

The place of usual residence is considered a place where a person spends most of his/her daily time, irrespective of a short-term absence from it (e.g. due to going to vacation, trip, medical treatment, visit etc.).

In line with the definition of the place of usual residence, the total population includes the following persons:

-    Those who have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the census moment

-    Those who arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the census moment with the intention of staying there for at least one year.

Therefore, the period of one year or longer and the intention of staying of at least one year are the basic criteria for the inclusion or exclusion of persons in/from the total population of the country, that is, the census settlements.

According to the international statistical definition of the total population of a country, Article 15 of the Act on the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2011 defines persons not to be included in the total population of the Republic of Croatia. These are the following persons:

-    Those who are permanently resident in the Republic of Croatia, but who are at the moment of the Census absent for longer than a year or intend to be absent for longer than a year and do not return on a weekly basis to the Republic of Croatia. An exception will be the diplomatic and military personnel of the Republic of Croatia, together with the members of their families, regardless of the duration of their stay abroad.

-    Those who have been resident in the Republic of Croatia for less than a year and do not intend to remain in the Republic of Croatia for longer than a year.

-    Students studying abroad, regardless of the frequency of their return to the Republic of Croatia, with the exception of students who cross the border on a daily basis.

Comparability of census data

2011 Census data are not directly comparable with the 2001 Census data, nor with the earlier censuses' data due to the different statistical definition of the total population used in the 2011 Census.

Data of six population censuses carried out after the Second World War (1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991 censuses) concern permanent residents, that is, the persons with the permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia, irrespective of their actual presence/absence at the time of the census and irrespective of the period of absence.

In the 2001 Census, the, concept "place of usual residence" was used for the first time in defining the total population, and the period of one year and more was introduced as a basic criterion in including/excluding a person from the total population.

The 2011 Census also used the concept "place of usual residence", but an intention of staying has been introduced for the first time as an additional criterion in including/excluding a person from the total population.

Although the data of both censuses, in 2001 and 2011, are based on the "place of usual residence" concept, the two cannot be directly compared. Firstly because the intention of staying was not taken into account in the 2001 Census, and, secondly, due to the fact that the 2001 Census included in the total population persons absent for longer than a year who returned to their residence on a seasonal or monthly basis (these persons are not included in the total population in the 2011 Census).

Explanations of tables

Age of population is expressed by completed years of age.

Data by age are presented by single age as well as by five-year age groups ending with the group "95 and more".

Each age group includes persons who turned the years put as the limits of one interval. For example, the age group 15 – 19 years includes all persons who have reached 15 years and more, but have not yet turned 20.

Average age indicates the mean age of the total population in a certain area (country, town, etc.) and is calculated as an arithmetic mean of the age of the total population.

Ageing index is the percentage of the population aged 60 and over in the population aged 0 –19. The index exceeding 40% indicates that the population of a particular area entered the ageing process.

Age coefficient is the percentage of the population aged 60 and over in the total population. It is the basic indicator in measuring the ageing level. When it exceeds 12%, it means that the population of a particular area entered the ageing process.

Women in reproductive age refer to women aged 15 – 49, which is an approximate age during which, in physiological sense, a women is capable to give birth.

Working age population refers to persons aged 15 – 64.

Citizenship is a legal status of a person determined by the affiliation to the country, which means that person has rights and duties foreseen by the state, its constitution or administration for its people (citizens).

The 2011 Census data on citizenship are presented for the Croatian citizens (including data for double citizenship – Croatian and other), foreign citizens, stateless persons and persons of unknown citizenship (answer was not given).

In detailed classification by the country of citizenship, data on the Croatian citizens are presented first, followed by data on the foreign citizens by countries.

Ethnicity is a characteristic denoting a person’s affiliation to a particular ethnic group.

Ethnicity is also interpreted as a sense of belonging to a society (nation), distinguished by ethnic, lingual and cultural affinity of its members as well as awareness of the integrity of their own community and its special qualities in relation to other such communities.

According to Article 7, Paragraph 2, of the Act on the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2011, persons could freely declare their ethnic affiliation.

If a person declared his/her regional, religious or any other affiliation, the enumerator was obliged to write such answer.

But if a person did not want to declare, enumerator marked the answer "not declared".

The 2011 Census data on ethnicity are presented so that first are listed the data on Croats as the majority people, then those on 22 ethnic minorities in the Republic of Croatia in the alphabetical order, followed by data on other ethnicities, data on persons who declared their regional and religious affiliation, data on those whose answers could not be classified, and at the end data on not declared persons and on those of unknown ethnicity (answer was not given).

Mother tongue means the language a person learned in early childhood, that is, the language they consider to be their mother tongue, if the household was multilingual.

The Census 2011 data on mother tongue are presented so that first are listed data on the Croatian language, then on languages spoken by ethnic minorities in the Republic of Croatia and at the end data on other languages.

Religion is a characteristic denoting a person's affiliation to a particular religious system, irrespective of whether the person is a registered member of a particular church or religious community or not, or whether he/she practises religion or not.

According to Article 7, Paragraph 2, of the Act on the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2011, persons could freely declare their religious affiliation.

But if a person did not want to declare, the enumerator marked the answer "not declared".

The 2011 Census data on religion are presented by the following groups: Catholics; Orthodox; Protestants; Other Christians; Muslims; Jews; Oriental religions; Other religions, movements and life philosophies; Agnostics and sceptics; Not religious and atheists, Not declared, Unknown.

In the 2011 Census, the question on affiliation to a particular religious community was not asked, so these data cannot be presented (although a smaller part of persons declared their affiliation to a particular church or religious community).