Both the surveys are organized with a methodology and samples set by UNFPA experts (as an executive agency) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), whereas their implementation was done in cooperation with the SOK.
The goal of these surveys was to provide basic data on demography, education and health characteristics, ethnic groups, social status, living conditions, fertility, mortality, migrations, female contraceptive measures above 15 years of age etc, with the intention to get an updated overview on the demographic situation in Kosovo after the wartime. The first survey covered around 7 000 households with 41 000 persons, whereas the second survey covered around 3 200 households with 18 000 persons.
The findings of these surveys have been published in separate bulletins. However, due to the lack of data from registration of population, some information presented do not present the real situation, such as: the internal and external migrations, the mortality rate of babies etc. Therefore, this substantiates the opinion expressed in the International Recommendations on Registration of Population (United Nations – New York and Geneva, 1998) that: “The sole use of sample surveys cannot offer equivalent data but can be used in combination with registration to complete the registration information on certain subjects.”
After the resumption of civil registration process in Kosovo in the end of 1999, provision of data on demographic statistics was a venerable priority and was called “Reactivity of Vital Statistics System” .
Initially, the technical support was provided by the University of Montreal in Canada and later by the Dutch Government and UNFPA as the executive agency.
In August 2001, the Demographic Statistics System started to be reactivated, with the collection of data on births, deaths and marriages, whereas in January 2004, the other part of demographic statistics was also reactivated, with data collection on divorces. Now we are in progress of an idea to draw up a methodology intended to have migration statistics reactivated.
In 2004, the SOK published the first bulletin “Kosovo Vital Statistics”, which contained data for 2002 and 2003. It was also published as a regular edition in 2005 with data for 2004. Currently, the next bulletin is under preparation with data for 2005.
These publications provide data on absolute indexes for vital events (births, deaths, marriages and divorces) for all municipalities in Kosovo, and some elementary analyses are done as well as some indexes on certain demographic phenomena are drawn up, such as: increase of population, birth rate multiplier, vitality multiplier, sex balance at birth, death-at-birth multiplier - fatal death, number of births according to age group of mothers etc. Information on deaths, marriages and divorces has also been made available. All these information are presented as interlaced in different ways through 54 tables, expressed in absolute and relative numbers through charts as well.
Publication
For more information: population@ks-gov.net
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