Bull. Org. mond. Sante 1 11, 163-175 Bull. Wld Hlth Org. I

NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS

DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS BRANCH, STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE

In the following tabulation, a provisional compilation a is made of the names of the agencies responsible for vital registration at the local and national levels and for vital statistics at the national level. The titles of the agencies are the latest available. The original language has been maintained for English and the Romanic languages; in other cases, a translation has been given. The responsible ministry has been given in parentheses, when- ever known. The key to the tabulation is as follows: A = Agency responsible for registration at the local (sub-national) level. B = Agency responsible for registration at the national level. C = Agency responsible for vital statistics at the national level.

AFRICA Egypt A. Health Bureau A. Tax collector's office A. Land mayor's office 1 B. Ministry of Public Health B. Statistical Department 2 (Ministry of Finance and Economy) C. Statistical Department (Ministry of Finance and Economy) Union of South Africa A. Office of District Registrar 3 B. Registrar-General's Office 3 C. Bureau of Census and Statistics

NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA Canada A. Department of Public Health (provincial) 4 B. None C. Dominion Bureau of Statistics (Department ofTrade and Commerce)

a A revised and more complete compilation will appear in the United Nations Handbook of Vital Statistics Methods now in preparation. 322 -163 - 164 UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL OFFICE

Costa Rica A. Oficina del Registrador Auxiliar del Registro Civil 3,5 B. Registro Central del Estado Civil (Ministerio de Gobernacion) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y Censos (Ministerio de Economia y Hacienda)

Cuba A. Oficina del Registro Civil (Juzgado municipal) B. Direccion de los Registros y del Notariado (Ministerio de Justicia) 2 C. Direccion General de Estadistica 6 (Ministerio de Hacienda) C. Oficina Nacional del Censo y Estadistica Electoral 7 (Tribunal Superior Electoral) C. Direccion General de Salubridad 8 (Ministerio de Salubridad y Asistencia Social)

Dominican Republic A. Oficina del Estado Civil B. Oficina Central de Estado Civil (Procuraduria General de la Re- pu'blica) C. Direccion General de Estadistica (Secretaria de Estado de Economia y Comercio)

El Salvador A. Oficina del Registro Civil B. Departamento de Inspeccion Municipal 2 (Ministerio de Interior) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y Censos (Ministerio de Economia)

Guatemala A. Oficina del Registro Civil (municipal) B. Direccion General de Estadistica 2 (Ministerio de Economia y Trabajo) C. Direccion General de Estadistica (Ministerio de Economia y Trabajo) C. Departamento de Estadistica 9 (Ministerio de Salud Puiblica y Asistencia Social)

Haiti A. Office de l'Etat civil 10 B. Departement de Justice C. Direction generale de la Sante publique 11 C. Institut haitien de Statistique 10 (Departement de l'Economie nationale) RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 165 Honduras A. Oficina del Registro Civil (municipal) 12 B. None C. Direccion General de Censos y Estadistica Nacionales (Secretaria de Gobernacion) A. Oficina del Registro Civil B. Direccion General de Estadistica 2 C. Direccion General de Estadistica (Secretaria de la Economia Nacio- nal) C. Departamento de Salubridad Puiblica 13 (Secretaria de Salubridad y Asistencia) Nicaragua A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil (municipal) B. None C. Direccion General de Estadistica (Ministerio de Economia) Panama 14 A. Oficina del Registro Auxiliar del Estado Civil B. Registro Civil (Ministerio del Gobierno y Justicia) C. Direccion General de Estadistica United States of America A. Department of Health (State) 15 B. None C. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

SOUTH AMERICA Argentina A. Registro Civil (provincial) B. None C. Direccion General del Servicio Estadistico Nacional (Direccion Nacional de Servicios Tecnicos del Estado, Ministerio de Asuntos Tecnicos) Bolivia A. Oficialia del Registro Civil B. Direccion General del Registro Civil (Ministerio de Gobierno, Justicia y Migracion) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y Censos (Ministerio de Hacienda y Estadistica) 166 UNITED NATION$ STATISTICAL OFFICE

Brazil 16 A. Office of Civil Register Notary B. None ? C. Serviqo de Estatistica Demografica, Moral e Politica (Ministerio da JustiPa e Negocios Interiores) C. Servi9o Federal de Bioestatistica 17 (Ministerio da Educa9ao e Sauide) Chile 16 A. Oficina del Registro Civil (commune) B. Direccion General del Registro Civil Nacional (Ministerio de Justicia) C. Direccion General de Estadistica (Ministerio de Economia y Comer- cio) C. Direccion General de Sanidad 18 (Ministerio de Salubridad, Asisten- cia y Prevision Social) Colombia 16 A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil de las Personas 12 B. Departamento de Justicia (Ministerio de Gobierno) C. Direccion Nacional de Estadistica (Presidencia de la Repuiblica) Ecuador A. Oficina Cantonal del Registro Civil B. Direccion General del Registro Civil (Ministerio de Gobierno) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y Censos 19 (Ministerio de Eco- nomia) Paraguay A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil de las Personas B. Direccion General del Registro Civil de las Personas (Ministerio de Justicia y Trabajos) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y Censos (Ministerio de Hacienda) C. Division de Bioestadistica 18 (Ministerio de Salud Pu'blica y Prevision Social) C. Direccion General del Registro Civil de las Personas 7 (Ministerio de Justicia y Trabajos) Peru A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil 12 B. None C. Direccion Nacional de Estadistica (Ministerio de Hacienda y Comercio) % C. Direccion de Salud Putblica 20 (Ministerio de Salud Publica y Asisten- cia Social) RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 167

Uruguay A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil B. Direccion General del Registro del Estado Civil (Ministerio de Justicia) C. Direccion General del Registro del Estado Civil (Ministerio de Justicia) C. Departamento de Estadistica Vital 13 (Ministerio de Salud Puiblica) Venezuela A. Oficina del Registro del Estado Civil 3 (municipal) A. Unidad Sanitaria 21 B. Direccion de Salubridad PuTblica 22 (Ministerio de Sanidad y Asisten- cia Social) C. Direccion General de Estadistica y de Censos Nacionales (Ministerio de Fomento) C. Direccion de Salubridad Publica 23 (Ministerio de Sanidad y Asisten- cia Social)

ASIA AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Burma 24 A. Health department (towns) A. Village headman (rural) B. Office of Registrar-General (Ministry of the Interior) C. Directorate of Medical and Public Health Services 25 (Ministry of Health and Social Affairs) Ceylon A. Office of Divisional Registrar 3 B. Registrar-General's Department (Ministry of Home Affairs and Rural Development) C. Registrar-General's Department 26 (Ministry of Home Affairs and Rural Development) India 16, 24 A. Health Department or Municipal Office 27 (urban) A. Village headman, police, or revenue station 27 (rural) B. None C. Directorate-General of Health Services 28 (Ministry of Health) Indonesia (European population) 29 A. Civil Registrar's Office (Civil Service) B. Department of Justice 2 C. Central Bureau of Statistics (Ministry of Economic Affairs) 168 UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL OFFICE

Iran A. Statistics and Office (regional) B. Department of Statistics and Civil Registration (Ministry of the Interior) C. Department of Statistics and Civil Registration (Ministry of the Interior) Israel A. District Health Office 30 B. Ministry of Health 30 C. Central Bureau of Statistics and Economic Research A. Local administrative authorities (i.e., -Kakari) B. None C. Health and Welfare Statistics Division (Ministry of Welfare) Jordan 12 A. Office of Health Centres 31 (districts) A. Mukhtar (small towns and villages) B. Central Public Health Department (Ministry of Health) C. Central Public Health Department 7 (Ministry of Health) Lebanon 12 A. Bureau de l'Etat civil (local) B. Service de l'Etat civil (Ministere de l'Interieur) C. Service de l'Etat civil (Ministere de l'Interieur) Pakistan 24 A. Municipal Health Department (urban) A. Village watchman, police, or revenue station (rural) B. None C. Office of Director-General of Health Philippines A. Office of Civil Registrar (municipal) B. Office of the Registrar-General (Bureau of Census and Statistics) C. Bureau of Census and Statistics (Department of Commerce and Industry) Syria 12 A. Department of Civil Registration (Ministry of the Interior) B. Department of Civil Registration (Ministry of the Interior) C. Department of Statistics (Ministry of National Economy) RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 169 Thailand A. Municipal office 32 (urban) A. Committee of district or head of commune 32 (rural) B. Central Registration Office 2 (Ministry of the Interior) C. Department of Public Health 11 (Ministry of Public Health) Turkey A. Population office (" Common ") 3 B. Directorate-General of Population Affairs (Ministry of the Interior) C. Central Statistical Office 33 (Office of the Prime )

EUROPE Austria A. Local Registrar's Office B. None C. Austrian Central Statistical Office Belgium A. Office de l'Etat civil (commune) B. None C. Institut national de Statistique (Ministere des Affaires economiques et des Classes moyennes) Czechoslovakia A. Local national committee 3 B. Ministry of the Interior 3 C. State Statistical Office Denmark A. Registry 3 A. Civil Registry 34 B. Ministry of Church Affairs 3 B. Ministry of Justice C. Statistical Department (Ministry of Finance) C. National Health Service 35 Finland A. Parish Registry and Civil Registry B. None C. Central Bureau of Statistics (Office of the Prime Minister) 170 UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL OFFICE

France A., Office de l'Etat civil (commune) B. Ministere de l'Interieur C. Institut national de la Statistique et des Etudes economiques (Minis- tere des Finances et des Affaires economiques) , Federal Republic of A. Civil Register Office 3 (" Land " Ministry of the Interior) B. None C. Federal Statistical Office (Ministry of the Interior) Greece A. Office de l'Etat civil (municipal or commune) B. Ministry of Justice C. Service de la Statistique generale (Ministere de l'Economie nationale) Iceland A. Parish ministers 3 B. None C. Statistical Bureau (Ministry of Finance) 12, 16 A. District Registrar's Office B. (Department of Health) C. General Register Office 36 (Department of Health) Italy 16 A. Ufficio di Stato Civile (commune) B. Ministry of Justice 2 C. Istituto Centrale di Statistica (Office of the Prime Minister) Liechtenstein A. Civil Registry Office (commune) B. Government Chancellery C. Government Luxembourg A. Office de l'Etat civil (commune) B. None C. Office de la Statistique generale (Minist6re des Affaires economiques) Monaco A. Office de l'Etat civil B. Service de l'Etat civil C. Service municipal de la Nationalite et de la Statistique RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 171 A. Registry of Civil Status (Municipal) B. Department of Home Affairs 2 C. Central Bureau of Statistics (Department of Commerce, Industry, and Navigation) Norway A. Parish registry 3 B. None C. Central Bureau of Statistics (Ministry of Finance and Customs) Poland A. Civil Registry Office 3 (Commune) B. Ministry of Public Administration 3 C. Central Statistical Office (National Planning Office) Portugal A. Conservatoria do Registro Civil B. Ministerio da Justiqa C. Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Ministerio das FinanSas) Spain 16 A. Oficina del Registro Civil (municipal) B. Direcci-on General de los Registros Civil de la Propriedad y del Nota- riado (Ministerio de Justicia) C. Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (Presidencia del Gobierno) A. Parish Registry B. Central Office of National Registration in Central Bureau of Sta- tistics 2 C. Central Bureau of Statistics (Ministry of Finance) Switzerland A. Office de l'Etat civil (canton) B. None C. Bureau federal de Statistique (Ministry of the Interior) of Great Britain and England and Wales A. Local Register Office (subdistrict) 3 B. General Register Office3 37 C. General Register Office 37, 38 12 172 UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL OFFICE Northern Ireland12 A. Local Register Office (district) 3 B. General Register Office 3 (Ministry of Finance) C. General Register Office 39 (Ministry of Finance) A. Local Registrar's Office (district) 3 B. General Registry Office 3 C. General Registry Office 40 Yugoslavia A. Bureau de l'Etat civil (local) 3 B. None C. Office federal de Statistique

OCEANIA A. District Registry Office 3 (State Registrar-General's Office) B. None C. Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (Department of the Treasury) New Zealand A. District Registrar's Office 3 B. Registrar-General's Division 3 (Department of Justice) C. Census and Statistics Department (Ministry of Census and Statistics) C. Health Department 35

NOTES

1 For births, stillbirths, and : in urban towns, the health bureau; and in rural districts, the tax collector's and land mayor's office. Agencies responsible for the registra- tion of and are: for Moslems, Moslem court registrars (Masoons); for Christians and Jews, the church or synagogue; for foreigners, the consulates. 2 Supervision and instructions only. 3 Not responsible for the registration of . Divorces are registered as part of the records of the courts concerned, and statistical reports are transmitted by the court authorities to the national statistical service except in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. 4 Except for the Province of Ontario, where the Office of the Registrar of Vital Statistics is in the Department of Municipal Affairs, the agency responsible for registration is variously known as the Registrar-General's Office, Office of Vital Statistics, Division of RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 173

Vital Statistics, or Demographer's Office (Quebec), in the provincial departments of health. In most provinces, these offices are responsible for registration of all vital events. 5 Registers of the Roman have equal legal status with the civil register. 6 For live-births, deaths, , and divorces. 7 For live-births and deaths only. 8 For stillbirths and cause of from reports of medical attendant. Plans are being made to collect birth statistics as well from medical attendant reports. 9 By authority of Government of 6 July 1951, statistical sections in the Ministry of Public Health and Welfare were transferred to the General Bureau of Statistics. 10 Since the establishment of the Institut haitien de Statistique on 4 September 1951, the help of the rural police officers of the Haitian Army has been enlisted in the registration of births and deaths occurring in rural areas, this being supplementary to the information gathered and transmitted by the civil registration officers. The data so obtained are sent to the Institut haitien de Statistique for verification and compilation, as are regular reports on live-births, deaths, marriages, and divorces registered by the civil register offices. I For live-births, stillbirths, and deaths only. 12 Stillbirths are not registered, but in Honduras, Colombia, and Peru statistics of stillbirths are obtained from other sources, and in Ireland, the Minister of Health is empowered to collect statistics on them by the Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriage Registration Act of 1952. 13 Deaths only. 14 Prior to January 1953, the Departamento de Salud Pu'blica was responsible for the compilation of statistics on live-births, stillbirths, and deaths, and the Registro Civil for live-births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Beginning in 1953, these responsibilities have been centralized in the Direcci6n de Estadistica y Censo in the Contraloria General de la Republica. 15 Except for the State of Massachusetts, where the Registrar of Vital Statistics is in the Department of State, the agency responsible for registration of live-births, stillbirths, and deaths is variously known as Division of Vital Statistics, Bureau of Vital Statistics, or Record and Statistics Section in the State Department of Health. Registration of marriages and divorces is less systematized than that of births and deaths. 16 Divorce, in the sense used here, is not recognized in this country. 17 Consolidates and publishes data for cities, compiled by State Health Departments. 18 For live-births, stillbirths, and deaths only. 19 The Direcci6n General de Estadistica is the only agency responsible by law for the compilation of national statistics, although statistical report forms are made out in duplicate, one copy being sent to the Direcci6n General de Sanidad. 20 According to the Resolution of 2 July 1904, the Direcci6n de Salud Pu'blica also has the right to collect demographic statistics. Vital statistics for the principal cities (30 cities as of 1947) are compiled and published by this agency. 21 Responsible for the registration of births in organized notification areas. These expanding areas are capitals of States and other cities of importance. In these notification areas registration is also made in the civil register. 22 Exercises responsibility at the national level for the registration of births in organized notification areas (see previous note) and for instructions on registration of deaths for the country as a whole. 174 UNITED NATIONS STATISTICAL OFFICE

23 Compiles statistics on cause of death and stillbirth for the total country and for births in organized notification areas. 24 Registration of and of divorce is not compulsory. 2;, For live-births and deaths in selected towns only. 26 In 1952, the responsibility for compilation of national vital statistics was trans- ferred to the Department of Census and Statistics in Ministry of Finance. 27 Registration of births and deaths is the responsibility of each individual State in India, and while some variation with respect to the State agencies responsible for registra- tion and compilation is evident, the salient features of the systems are much the same throughout the country. In general, in all municipalities (urban areas) responsibility is placed in the municipal health department or in the land revenue department of the municipal administration. In rural areas, there is more variation from State to State, the function of registration being exercised variously by the police station, railway station, revenue office, forest department, estate superintendents, cantonments, or through the village headman. 28 For live-births and deaths only. Data on stillbirths are not compiled, and statistics of marriage and divorce are not compiled even for those events which are recorded in ecclesiastical or other registers. In 1951 compilation of national vital statistics was nominally transferred to the Office of the Registrar-General of Vital and Population Statistics (Ministry of Home Affairs), the reconstituted Census Office. 29 Registration of births and deaths among the Indonesian population is not compul- sory, and registration of marriages and divorces among the Moslem population is made by the religious authorities. Therefore no administrative organization exists for registra- tion except for the European segment of the population, though some Indonesians (both Christian and other) and foreign Asians have voluntarily registered births and deaths in the European civil register. A voluntary system based on the village administration and the Ministry of Health is under experimentation. 30 Responsible for registration of live-births, stillbirths, and deaths only. Marriages and divorces are registered by the rabbinical offices, responsible at the national level to the Ministry for Internal Affairs. Statistics of marriage and divorce, like those of birth and death, are compiled by the Central Bureau of Statistics and Economic Research. 31 Responsible for registration of live-births and deaths only. Marriages and divorces are registered by the religious courts, responsible at national level to the Central Religious Court, but, unlike those of live-birth and death statistics, are compiled by the Statistical Department. 32 Responsible for registration of live-births, stillbirths and deaths. Marriages and divorces are registered by the District Committee of the Central Registration Office in the Ministry of the Interior. 33 Vital statistics for the entire country are not available. Death statistics (based on permits), marriage statistics from the civil registers, and divorce statistics from the court records are compiled for a few cities. Birth and death statistics have also been compiled for about 7,000 out of 36,000 villages in connexion with malaria campaigns of the Ministry of Health ; and in all villages in three provinces the Central Statistical Office is collecting reports on births and deaths from the " Muhtars " on an experimental basis. 34 Responsible for Tegistration of civil marriages and, in " Sonderjydske " parts of the country, for registration of births and deaths also. 35 Cause-of-death statistics only. 36 Responsibility for compilation of vital statistics was transferred to the Central Statistics Office (Office of the Prime Minister) in 1950. 37 The Ministry nf Health represents the General Register Office before Parliament. RESPONSIBILITY FOR VITAL REGISTRATION AND STATISTICS 175

38 Not responsible for divorce statistics, which are compiled by the Lord Chancellor's Department. 39 Not responsible for divorce statistics, which are compiled by the High Court of Justice. 40 Not responsible for divorce statistics, which are compiled by the Scottish Home Department.

RItSUME'

Le Groupe des Statistiques demographiques et sociales du Bureau de Statistique des Nations Unies a etabli une liste des administrations et bureaux charges, dans les divers pays, de l'enregistrement des faits d'etat-civil a l'echelon local (designes par la lettre A) et a l'echelon national (B) ainsi que de ceux auxquels incombe l'elaboration des statis- tiques d6mographiques 'a l'echelon national (C).