D P R Korea 2008 Population Census National Report Central Bureau of Statistics Pyongyang, DPR Korea 2009 Foreword The government of the DPR Korea has set a far-reaching target to open the gate to a great, prosperous and powerful socialist nation until 2012 that falls on the centennial birth anniversary of the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and is waging a vigorous campaign to realize it. Pursuant to such vibrant reality, the 2nd census of population was carried out in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with October 1, 2008 as the reference point of time. The census aimed to collect more detailed demographic and socio-economic information, which is absolutely necessary for formulation of the government’s policy, state administration and management of the society and the economy. This nationwide census included, in addition to demographic and economic indicators, more topics such as housing, disability, education, migration, economic activity and maternal mortality, which were not collected in the 1st census undertaken 15 years before in 1993. 2008 census of population is a success in terms of enumeration coverage and quality of the data. The census results will be efficiently utilized in the best way to actively promote the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation and put the overall work of the country on a scientific basis in accordance with the natural requirements of the people-centered socialist state. It will also contribute to further improving the standards of material and cultural life of the people and promoting the socio- economic development. At the same time the census results will also serve as valuable source in further intensifying and developing the work of analyzing the current state and projection of the population as well as ensuring deepened research activities of scientists and intellectuals in the fields of education, culture, public health and construction of dwellings and so forth. Under the wise leadership of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government adopted necessary measures and provided excellent conditions for having all the people in the territory involved in the 2nd census of population, which lead to its successful completion. We wish to express our deep gratitude to the functionaries of people’s government organs at all levels and officials of all statistical offices throughout the country for their excellent organization and leadership, to the tens of thousands of enumerators and supervisors for their commitment during the census enumeration and to all citizens for their kind cooperation. I would also like to extend my thanks and appreciation to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund for providing material and technical support to the 2nd census of population in DPR Korea. Kim Chang Su Director-General, Central Bureau of Statistics, DPRK Table of Contents Overview of the 2008 Census of Population, 1 Concepts and Definitions of Census Terms, 7 List of Tables, 9 Annex 1. CPF 1 Form for Listing of Households, 267 Annex 2. CPF 2 Census Questionnaire, 269 Annex 3. CPF 2B Census Questionnaire for Institutional (Military) Living Quarters, 273 2008 Census of Population of DPR Korea Overview of the 2008 Census of Population Introduction The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is situated in the north eastern part of Asia. It has a total land area of about 120 thousand square kilometers of which 80 percent are mountains. Administratively, the entire country is divided into nine provinces and the capital city of Pyongyang. Provinces are divided into cities (districts) and counties. A county is further subdivided into smaller geographic areas called ri, (gu, dong) and the county town called up. Cities (districts), on the other hand, consist of administrative areas known as dong. In big cities, the dongs are grouped into administrative units called districts. For purposes of the census, the ri/up/gu/dong was divided into smaller areas known as enumeration areas. Each enumeration area had an average of about 150 households if it was in the rural area; 180 households if urban. The first modern census of the population of DPRK was conducted in 1993. In 2008, the govemment of the DPR Korea launched its second census of population after15 years. The legal basis for the latest census was the Cabinet Declaration No. 33 which was enacted in October, 2006. The main objective of the 2008 Census of Population was to make an accurate count of the total number of citizens of the country and to record their demographic, social and economic characteristics at every administrative level. The data will be used for state administration of the country and for the formulation of policies that are relevant to the social and economic development of the nation. Structural Organization for the Census For the successful implementation of the census, a National Census Steering Committee (NCSC) was organized with counterpart committees at the provincial and city/county administrative areas. It was headed by the Vice Premier and its members included the Vice Ministers of various ministries. The NCSC is both a policy executing and a coordinating body. It issued general directions and provided overall guidance and supervision in the implementation of the census. It coordinated the activities of different ministries in their role as cooperating agencies for the census. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the government agency responsible for the production of statistics on all aspects of the economy, was responsible for the planning and implementation of the population census. All provincial and city/county statistical offices were also involved in the implementation of the census in their respective areas. The manpower that carried out the enumeration for the census was about 35,000 enumerators (EN) and nearly 8,000 team supervisors (TS). They were recruited and trained specially for this purpose from the area of their assignment. Some of the regular staff of the provincial and city/county statistical offices were also involved in the census as census area supervisors (CAS). The census area supervisors were responsible for organizing, coordinating and supervising data collection activities at county level. 1 2008 Census of Population of DPR Korea The overall structure of the organization of the 2008 Census of Population is shown below. Deputy Director General National Census CBS Steering Committee Deputy Director General CBS Dep’t of Population and Labor Statistics Information and Technology Dep’t CBS CBS Director Provincial Census Provincial Statistics Office Steering Committee Provincial Computer Center Director City (District)/County City/County Census Statistics Office Steering Committee Census Area Supervisor Head of ri/up/gu/dong Team Supervisor Office Census Enumerator 2 2008 Census of Population of DPR Korea Scope and Coverage of the 2008 Population Census The population enumerated in the census included all Korean citizens living in DPRK and people of other nationalities who have already acquired Korean citizenship as of the date of the census. All households and institutional living quarters located within a ri/up/gu/dong were listed and all persons living in those units were enumerated. Institutional living quarters refer to institutions such as dormitories, nurseries, military camps, penal colonies where people also live. Data collection was done through house-to-house interview by enumerators using the census questionnaire. The rule for enumeration followed the ‘de jure’ method; that is, individuals were, in general, enumerated at their usual places of residence. The census was conducted over a period of 15 days, that is, from 1-15 October 2008. For purposes of enumeration, a ‘census moment’ or census reference period was established, which was 00:01 hour of 1 October 2008. All those who were alive as of this census moment were included in the enumeration. The census count therefore excluded babies who were born on 1 October or later and persons who died just before 1 October 2008. Mapping Mapping is a pre-requisite to conducting an accurate census. This involved drawing/preparation of enumeration area maps that were used as basis for enumerating, as nearly as possible, all households and individuals within an area during the enumeration period. During the 1993 Census, mapping was not included as part of the census operations. For the 2008 census, mapping became an integral part of the DPRK census programme. Mapping of enumeration areas within each city/county was done by a designer from the City/County Design Office. The designers went through 3-day training in November of 2007 on basic cartographic concepts during which they also received instructions on how to prepare maps for census purposes. Questionnaire Design The census questionnaire was developed by the Central Bureau of Statistics which paid particular attention to the following aspects: (1) the content or the topics to be included; (2) the manner in which the questions are to be asked; (3) the categories of responses especially in the case of pre-coded question; and (4) the layout of the questionnaire. With regard to the content of the questionnaire, the recommendations of the United Nations as described in the UN Principles and Recommendations on Census of Population and Housing, 2nd Revision, were considered to the extent appropriate and feasible in the national context . CBS also organized a dialogue with national users to get their comments and recommendations to the initial draft questionnaires. Altogether, three types of census questionnaires were designed and used. These were: 3 2008 Census of Population of DPR Korea CPF 1 – List of Households CPF 2 – Regular and Institutional Household Questionnaire CPF 2B – Questionnaire for Military Population CPF 1 was used to list all the households located in each enumeration area. Information on the number of household members by sex was also recorded on this form. Samples of these questionnaires are shown as Annexes to this report.