543. Of the 52 UNECE countries that conducted a population census in the 2020 round, 50 conducted also a housing census. Only Azerbaijan and Israel conducted a population census but not a housing census.

544. The UNECE survey collected information on the collection/production of data on housing topics. A few countries (Albania, Montenegro, Romania and Estonia) did not report information on housing, while most countries provided detailed information on a number of housing topics selected from among those presented in the CES Recommendations.

545. This chapter presents general information on how UNECE countries conducted their housing census in the 2020 round, and which of the recommended housing topics were considered by the different countries.

546. While the large majority of countries adopted the same methodological approach for the population census and the housing census, some UNECE countries reported that they used different methods. Among the countries that carried out a combined population censuses, Estonia conducted a fully register-based housing census, while Germany, North Macedonia and Serbia conducted a full field enumeration for the housing census. Among the countries with a register-based population census using data from existing sample surveys, Belgium and the Kingdom of the Netherlands conducted a fully register-based housing census, while Türkiye used sample survey data on housing.

547. In order to assess the international comparability of housing censuses there needs to be a common understanding and agreement of what concepts are used to measure housing characteristics. The 2020 CESR defined, for example, some key terms such as “living quarters”, “housing unit”, “building”, ”dwelling” and “room”. The UNECE survey aimed to find out if such concepts were adopted and if the definitions used were compliant with those in the CESR. Table 107 presents information on the main housing concepts, collected in the UNECE survey.

	Total (out of 44 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (15 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Living quarters – concept used	41	14	15	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	40	14	15	11
Definition not compliant with CESR	1	0	0	1
Concept not used	3	1	0	2
Housing unit – concept used	39	13	14	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	36	12	13	11
Definition partially compliant with CESR	2	1	1	0
Definition not compliant with CESR	1	0	0	1
Concept not used	4	1	1	2
Conventional dwelling – concept used	39	12	15	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	39	12	15	12
Concept not used	3	1	0	2
Occupied conventional dwelling – used	39	12	14	13
Definition fully compliant with CESR	39	12	14	13
Concept not used	3	1	1	1
Other housing units – concept used	34	13	12	9
Definition fully compliant with CESR	32	12	11	9
Definition partially compliant with CESR	2	1	1	0
Concept not used	9	1	3	5
Useful floor space – concept used	36	11	13	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	34	10	12	12
Definition partially compliant with CESR	2	1	1	0
Concept not used	8	4	2	2
Room – concept used	39	15	15	9
Definition fully compliant with CESR	34	12	14	8
Definition partially compliant with CESR	4	2	1	1
Definition not compliant with CESR	1	1	0	0
Concept not used	5	0	0	5
Building – concept used	37	12	13	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	33	10	13	10
Definition partially compliant with CESR	4	2	0	2
Concept not used	5	2	1	2
Collective living quarters – concept used	38	13	13	12
Definition fully compliant with CESR	35	11	12	12
Definition partially compliant with CESR	2	1	1	0
Concept not used	4	1	1	2

548. The CESR defined living quarters (in paragraph 872) as: “….those housing types which are the usual residences of one or more persons” at the census, including those that were intended or not for habitation. The concept was qualified by the definitions of the main categories into which living quarters are divided:

(1.0) Occupied conventional dwellings

(2.0) Other housing units – a hut, cabin, shack, caravan, houseboat, barn, mill, cave or other shelter used for human habitation at the time of the census

(3.0) Collective living quarters – a hotel, institution, camp, etc.

549. The concept of living quarters was used by most of the reporting countries, 41 out of 44 (93%). All countries using this concept adopted a definition that was fully compliant with the CES definition, except for Sweden, where data on other housing units are not available.

550. A housing unit was defined in the CESR (para. 874) as: “…a separate and independent place of abode intended for habitation by a single household, or one not intended for habitation but used as a usual residence by a household at the census reference time. This includes ‘occupied conventional dwellings’ and ‘other housing units’”.

551. For the purpose of international comparability, the CES recommended that information should be collected on “occupied conventional dwellings” and (where possible) “other housing units” and presented separately.

552. The concept of housing unit was used by most of the reporting countries, 39 out of 43 (91%). Almost all the countries that used the concept adopted a definition that was fully compliant with the CES definition. Only Cyprus and the United States adopted a definition partially compliant, and Sweden a definition not compliant as mentioned above (para. ‎549).

553. Conventional dwellings were defined by the CESR (in paragraph 876) as being”… structurally separate and independent premises, which are designed for permanent human habitation at a fixed location and are not used wholly for non-residential purposes at the census reference time. A conventional dwelling consists of a room or suite of rooms and its accessories (for example lobbies, corridors) in a permanent building or structurally separated part thereof. It need not necessarily have a bathroom or toilet available for the exclusive use of its occupants”.

554. The CESR also define (para. 879(a) ) a conventional dwelling as occupied “…if it is a usual residence of one or more persons regardless of temporary absences at the census reference time such as holidays or stay in a hospital. An ‘occupant’ of a conventional dwelling is a person who has usual residence in the dwelling.

555. The concepts of conventional dwelling and occupied conventional dwelling were used by almost all the reporting countries, 39 out of 42 (93%). All the countries that used the two concepts adopted a definition that was fully compliant with the CES definition.

556. ”Other housing units” were defined in the CESR (para. 882) as “those that do not come fully within the category of a conventional dwelling either because they are mobile, semi-permanent or improvised, or are not designed for human habitation, but which are nevertheless used at the census reference time as the usual residence of one or more persons who are members of one or more private households”.

557. The concept of other housing unit was used by 34 countries out of 43 (79%). All of those countries used a definition that was fully compliant with the CESR, except for two countries that use a definition that was partially compliant. Of the nine countries that did not use this concept, five were countries with a register-based census.

558. “Useful floor space” was defined in the CESR (para. 921) as “the floor space measured inside the outer walls, excluding non-habitable cellars and attics and, in multi dwelling buildings, all common spaces”. The CESR noted that, alternatively, countries may prefer to adopt another concept of living floor space, defined as "the total floor space of rooms within the dwelling”.

559. It should be noted that the CESR included a core topic on useful floor space and/or number of rooms of housing units.

560. The concept of useful floor space was used by 36 of the 44 reporting countries (82%), with almost all of those countries (34) adopting a definition fully compliant with the CESR definition, and two countries adopting a definition partially compliant.

561. Among the eight countries that did not use the concept, three (Malta, Ireland and the United Kingdom) used data on number of rooms. In the United Kingdom this data was taken from administrative data for the first time, and followed a different definition in that kitchens, utility rooms and conservatories do not count as rooms in their administrative data.

562. A room was defined in the CESR (para. 925) as “a space in a housing unit enclosed by walls reaching from the floor to the ceiling or roof covering, at least to a height of 2 metres above the ground, of a size large enough to hold a bed for an adult (4 square metres at least) and at least 2 metres high over the major area of the ceiling”. Thus, normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, habitable cellars and attics, servants’ rooms, kitchens and other separate spaces used or intended for habitation all count as rooms if they correspond to the definition above. A kitchenette (that is, a kitchen of less than 4 square metres), verandas, utility rooms (for example boiler rooms, laundry rooms) and lobbies do not count as rooms; nor do bathrooms and toilets (even if they are more than 4 square metres). Rooms without windows, for example cellars below ground – however large – should not generally be counted, unless they are functionally used for domestic purposes – which might include large lobbies with writing tables or internal bedrooms with no windows for example.

563. Of the 44 reporting countries, 39 (89%) used the concept of room, adopting a definition that was fully compliant in most countries (34), partially compliant in 4 countries, and not compliant in the United Kingdom only (see para. ‎561).

564. The ”building” was defined in the CESR (para. 870) as “…any independent structure containing one or more dwellings, rooms or other spaces, covered by a roof and enclosed within external walls or dividing walls which extend from the foundations to the roof, whether designed for residential or for agricultural, commercial, industrial or cultural purposes or for the provision of services. Thus a building may be a detached house, apartment building, factory, shop, warehouse, garage, barn, etc.”

565. The concept of building was used by 37 countries out of 42 (88%). Of those countries, 33 used a definition fully compliant with the CESR and 4 used a definition partially compliant.

566. As noted in the CESR (para. 886), ”Collective living quarters” comprise premises which are designed for habitation by large groups of individuals or several households and which are used as the usual residence of at least one person at the census reference time.

567. Collective living quarters include hotels, institutions, camps, and other types of living quarters, as defined in para. 887.

568. Of the 42 responding countries, 38 (90%) used the concept of collective living quarters, and 35 of them used a definition that was fully compliant with the CESR.

569. The UNECE survey also collected information on the reasons why countries did not follow the concepts and definitions from the CES Recommendations. Although this information was provided by a limited number of countries, for all concepts the main reason was to ensure comparability with previous censuses (reported by a number of countries between 5 and 10). The availability of data in the registers used was rarely a reason, reported by no more than two countries for any of the concepts.

570. The CESR noted (para. 880) that, although many of the housing topics apply only to occupied conventional dwellings, all conventional dwellings should be counted for census purposes whether or not they are occupied (that is, have at least one usual resident). Therefore, dwellings should be counted also when they are reserved for seasonal or secondary use, or vacant, or are occupied by persons who are not included in the census (such as visitors, short-term migrants, foreign military, naval and diplomatic personnel and their families).

571. The UNECE survey focused in this last category, and asked countries whether their census covered dwellings occupied by persons not classified as usually resident. The results are presented in Table 108.

572. Dwellings that were occupied by persons not classified as usually resident were covered in the census by 27 of the 43 responding countries (63%), including about three quarters of the countries with field enumeration or combined census, and only one third of those with a register-based census.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Dwellings were covered in the census	27	11	11	5
Dwellings were not covered in the census	16	3	4	9

573. The CES Recommendations included 13 core topics on housing. For each of them, the UNECE survey asked countries whether the topic was included in the census and, if so, what was the main data source and whether the classification used was compliant with the CESR. This section presents the survey results.

574. The CESR recommended (para. 893) that living quarters – based on the concept already discussed in the section ‎23.3.1 above) – be classified by type, using the following classification, optional at the two- and three-digit level:

 (1.0) Occupied conventional dwellings

 (2.0) Other housing units

   (2.1) Mobile units

   (2.2) Semipermanent units

   (2.3) Informal housing units

     (2.3.1) Designed for habitation

     (2.3.1) Not designed for habitation

 (3.0) Collective living quarters

   (3.1) Hotels, rooming houses and other lodging houses

   (3.2) Institutions

   (3.3) Camps

   (3.4) Other collective living quarters

575. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 109. The large majority of responding countries, 40 out of 43 (93%) included the topic in their census, using as main data source full enumeration (20 countries) or registers (17 countries). Only Armenia used sample data. Three quarters of the countries (29) used a classification that was fully compliant with the one recommended by the CES, at least at the one-digit level. Seven countries used a classification not compliant with the CES.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	40	13	15	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	20	11	9	0
sample data	1	0	1	0
registers/admin.rec.	17	1	4	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	4	2	1	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	5	4	0	1
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	20	5	11	4
NOT compliant with CES	7	1	2	4
Topic not included in the census	3	1	0	2

576. As noted in the CESR (para. 898), housing arrangements cover the whole population and refer to the type of housing where a person is a usual resident at the census reference time. This covers all persons who are usual residents in different types of living quarters, including those who are primary homeless persons.

577. The following classification by housing arrangement, at the level of individuals, was recommended:

(1.0) Occupants (that is persons with a usual residence) living in a conventional dwelling;

(2.0) Occupants (that is persons with a usual residence) living in another housing unit – such as a hut, cabin, shack, caravan, houseboat, or a barn, mill, cave or other shelter used for human habitation at the census reference time;

(3.0) Occupants (that is persons with a usual residence) living in a collective living quarter – a hotel, institution, camp, etc.;

(4.0) Primary homeless persons (that is persons who are not usual residents in any living quarter category).

578. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 110. Also this topic was included in the census by most countries, 38 out of 43 (88%), using as main data source full enumeration (22 countries) or registers (14 countries). Two thirds of the countries (25) used a classification that was fully compliant with the one recommended by the CES, at least at the one-digit level. Nine countries used a classification not compliant with the CES.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	38	12	14	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	22	11	11	0
sample data	1	1	0	0
registers/admin.rec.	14	0	2	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	2	1	0	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	2	2	0	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	21	7	10	4
NOT compliant with CES	9	1	3	5
Topic not included in the census	5	2	1	2

579. This topic refers to whether or not a conventional dwelling is the place of usual residence of one or more persons, and to various categories of unoccupied dwellings (CESR, para. 903-904).

580. The following classification was recommended at the one- and two-digit level but optional at the three-digit level:

(1.0) Conventional dwellings which are the usual residence of one or more persons at the census reference time (occupied dwellings)

(2.0) Conventional dwellings which are not the usual residence of any person at the census reference time

(2.1) Dwellings reserved for seasonal or secondary use

(2.2.) Vacant dwellings

(2.2.1) Vacant for sale

(2.2.2) Vacant for rent

(2.2.3) Vacant for demolition

(2.2.4) Other vacant or not known

(2.3) Dwellings occupied by persons not included in the census

581. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 111. This topic was included in the census by most countries, 38 out of 42 (90%), using as main data source full enumeration (22 countries) or registers (14 countries). About two thirds of the countries (26) used a classification that was fully compliant with the one recommended by the CES, at least at the one-digit level. Eight countries used a classification not compliant with the CES.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (13 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	38	12	14	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	22	11	11	0
sample data	1	1	0	0
registers/admin.rec.	14	0	2	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	5	3	1	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	6	2	4	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	15	4	6	5
NOT compliant with CES	8	2	2	4
Topic not included in the census	4	1	1	2

582. This topic refers to the type of ownership of dwelling as distinct from the land on which the dwelling stands (CESR, para. 912). The topic should not be confused with the household characteristic of ”tenure status” (see section ‎22.6) as it relates to status of the dwelling as distinct from that of the household.

583. The following classification of dwellings by type of ownership was recommended for occupied conventional dwelling at the one-digit level but optional at the two-digit level:

(1.0)  Owner occupied dwellings

(2.0)  In co-operative ownership

(3.0)  Rented dwellings

(3.1)  In private ownership

(3.2)  Owned by the local or central government or by non-profit organizations

(3.3)  Mixed ownership

(4.0)  Other types of ownership.

584. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 112. This topic was included in the census by all reporting countries but one. Although the majority of the countries (23) used a classification that was fully compliant with the one recommended by the CES, over one third (14 countries) used a classification not compliant with the CES.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	42	14	15	13
Main data source:
full enumeration	22	11	11	0
sample data	6	2	3	1
registers/admin.rec.	12	0	0	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	2	1	0	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	5	2	3	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	16	5	6	5
NOT compliant with CES	14	4	5	5
Topic not included in the census	1	0	0	1

585. The number of occupants of a living quarter is the number of people for whom the living quarter is the usual residence (CESR, para. 919).

586. The CESR requested that a classification of the total number of living quarters according to the type (occupied conventional dwellings, other housing units and collective living quarters) and the number of occupants should be adopted (for example, dwellings with one person, two persons, etc.), and that the average number of occupants per each type of living quarter should also be derived.

587. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 113. This topic was included in the census by all reporting countries but two (95%).

588. For this topic the CESR did not recommend a specific classification (see para. ‎586 above). As a result, several countries replied that they used an EU classification (8 countries) or that the question on the classification was not applicable (9 countries). Still, almost half of the countries that included the topic (17 out of 41) reported having used a classification that was fully compliant with the CES Recommendations.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	41	14	15	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	22	12	10	0
sample data	3	1	2	0
registers/admin.rec.	13	0	1	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	6	1	3	2
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	1	1	0	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	10	2	5	3
NOT compliant with CES	1	0	1	0
EU classification	8	2	1	5
Not applicable	9	5	4	0
Topic not included in the census	2	0	0	2

589. Useful floor space was defined in the CESR (para. 921) as “the floor space measured inside the outer walls, excluding non-habitable cellars and attics and, in multi-dwelling buildings, all common spaces”. The CESR noted that, alternatively, countries might prefer to adopt another concept of living floor space, defined as "the total floor space of rooms within the dwelling”.

590. The following classification of housing units by area of floor space was recommended:

(1.0)  Under 30 square metres

(2.0)  30 and less than 40 square metres

(3.0)  40 and less than 50 square metres

(4.0)  50 and less than 60 square metres

(5.0)  60 and less than 80 square metres

(6.0)  80 and less than 100 square metres

(7.0)  100 and less than 120 square metres

(8.0)  120 and less than 150 square metres

(9.0)  150 square metres and over.

591. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 114. The topic was included in the census by 35 countries out of 43 (81%). About two thirds of those countries (22) used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR. Among the others, six countries reported having used an EU classification.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	35	10	13	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	17	8	9	0
sample data	4	1	2	1
registers/admin.rec.	12	0	1	11
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	22	6	10	6
NOT compliant with CES	1	1	0	0
EU classification	6	1	1	4
Not applicable	3	1	1	1
Topic not included in the census	8	4	2	2

592. The CESR (in para. 924) noted that, alternatively or in addition to the floor space of housing units, countries should report the total number of rooms and the average number of rooms per housing unit.

593. The following classification of number of rooms was recommended:

(1.0)  One room

(2.0)  Two rooms

(3.0)  Three rooms

(4.0)  Four rooms

(5.0)  Five rooms

(6.0)  Six rooms

(7.0)  Seven rooms

(8.0)  Eight rooms

(9.0)  Nine rooms or more.

594. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 115. The topic was included in the census by 38 countries out of 43 (88%). Three quarters of the countries (29) used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR, and 6 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 43 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Topic included in the census	38	14	15	9
Main data source:
full enumeration	20	9	11	0
sample data	7	3	2	2
registers/admin.rec.	9	1	1	7
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	29	10	11	8
NOT compliant with CES	6	2	2	2
not applicable	2	0	1	1
Topic not included in the census	5	0	0	5

595. In the survey, countries were asked whether they derived density standard (CESR para. 929) using information on useful floor space (floor space per occupant) and/or number of rooms (rooms per occupant), and/or using another method.

596. The results are presented in Table 116. Of the 44 reporting countries, 36 (82%) derived density standards, of which: 15 countries using only the floor space per occupant, 8 using only the rooms per occupant, and 12 countries using both. Canada used both the rooms per occupant and another method, the Canadian National Occupancy Standard.

	Total (out of 44 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (15 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
Density standards were derived, using…	36	11	13	12
floor space per occupant only	15	3	4	8
rooms per occupant only	8	5	2	1
BOTH floor space per occupant AND rooms per occupant	12	2	7	3
BOTH rooms per occupantAND another method	1	1	0	0
Density standards were not derived	8	4	2	2

597. The CESR recommended (in para. 937) that countries collect information on water supply systems for all housing units but should report it separately for occupied conventional dwellings.

598. The following classification of occupied conventional dwellings and other housing units by type of water supply system was recommended at the one-digit level and optional at the two and three-digit levels:

(1.0)  Piped water in the housing unit

(1.1)  From a community scheme

(1.2)  From a private source

(2.0)  No piped water in the housing unit

(2.1)  Piped water available within the building but outside the housing unit

(2.1.1)  From a community scheme

(2.1.2)  From a private source

(2.2)  Piped water available outside the building

(2.2.1)  From a community scheme

(2.2.2)  From a private source

(2.3)  No piped water available.

599. Although this was a core topics, the CESR recognised that some countries, where the proportion of dwellings equipped with piped water is very high, almost 100% nationally, might not feel that the collection of such information in the census is justified in comparison with other more relevant or discriminating topics (CESR para. 941).

600. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 117. The topic was included in the census by 31 of the 42 responding countries (74%). Almost half of the countries with a field enumeration census (6 out of 14) did not include the topic. On the contrary, most countries with a register-based census (11 out of 13) included the topic. The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden imputed the data.

601. A classification that was fully compliant with the CESR at least at the 1-digit level was used by 15 countries (three quarters of those who responded this question), while 6 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	31	8	12	11
Main data source:
full enumeration	16	7	9	0
sample data	3	0	1	2
registers/admin.rec.	8	1	0	7
other (imputed)	2	0	0	2
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	0	0	0	0
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	5	2	3	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	10	4	6	6
NOT compliant with CES	6	0	2	4
Topic not included in the census	11	6	3	2

602. The CESR recommended (para. 942) that countries collect information on toilet facilities for all housing units but should report it separately for occupied conventional dwellings.

603. The following classification of occupied conventional dwellings and other housing units by type of toilet facilities was recommended at the one-digit level and optional at the two and three-digit levels:

(1.0)  Flush toilet in the housing unit

(2.0)  No flush toilet in the housing unit

(2.1)  Toilet of other type in the housing unit

(2.2)  Flush toilet available within the building but outside the housing unit

(2.2.1)  Private (that is, for the exclusive use of the occupants of the housing unit)

(2.2.2)  Shared (that is, shared with occupants of another housing unit)

(2.3)  Flush toilet available outside the building

(2.3.1)  Private

(2.3.2)  Shared

(2.4)  Toilet of other type within the building but outside the housing unit

(2.4.1)  Private

(2.4.2)  Shared

(2.5)  Toilet of other type outside the building

(2.5.1)  Private

(2.5.2)  Shared

604. As for the water supply system, the CESR recognized that some countries, where the proportion of dwellings equipped with a flush toilet is very high, almost 100% nationally, might decide not to collect such information.

605. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 118. The topic was included in the census by 29 of the 42 responding countries (69%). As for the water supply system, almost half of the countries with a field enumeration census (6 out of 14) did not include the topic, while most countries with a register-based census (11 out of 13) included the topic. The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden imputed the data.

606. A classification that was fully compliant with the CESR at least at the 1-digit level was used by 18 countries, while 7 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	29	8	10	11
Main data source:
full enumeration	12	7	6	0
sample data	3	0	1	2
registers/admin.rec.	8	0	1	7
other (imputed)	2	0	0	2
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	0	0	0	0
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	1	1	0	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	17	4	7	6
NOT compliant with CES	7	1	2	4
Topic not included in the census	13	6	5	2

607. The CESR recommended (para. 946) that all countries should collect information on bathing facilities for all housing units, but should report it separately for occupied conventional dwellings.

608. The following classification of bathing facilities was recommended at the one-digit level and optional at the two and three-digit levels:

(1.0)  Fixed bath or shower in the housing unit

(2.0)  No fixed bath or shower in the housing unit

(2.1)  Fixed bath or shower available within the building but outside the housing unit

(2.1.1)  Private

(2.1.2)  Shared

(2.2)  Fixed bath or shower available outside the building

(2.2.1)  Private

(2.2.2)  Shared

(2.3)  No fixed bath or shower available.

609. Again, the CESR recognized that some countries, where the proportion of dwellings with bathing facilities is very high, almost 100% nationally, might decide not to collect such information.

610. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 119. The topic was included in the census by 31 of the 42 responding countries (74%). About one third of the countries with a field enumeration or combined census did not include the topic, while all countries with a register-based census but one included the topic. The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden imputed the data.

611. A classification that was fully compliant with the CESR at least at the 1-digit level was used by 19 countries, while 8 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	31	9	10	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	12	6	6	0
sample data	5	2	1	2
registers/admin.rec.	9	0	1	8
other (imputed)	2	0	0	2
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	1	0	0	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	2	1	1	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	16	4	6	6
NOT compliant with CES	8	2	2	4
Topic not included in the census	11	5	5	1

612. The CESR recommended (para. 959) that countries should report separately the type of heating in occupied conventional dwellings and other housing unit.

613. The following classification of occupied conventional dwellings and of other housing units by type of heating was recommended at the one-digit level and optional at the two-digit and three-digit level:

(1.0)  Central heating

(1.1)  Central heating from an installation in the building or in the housing unit

(1.2)  Central heating from a community heating centre

(2.0)  No central heating

(2.1)  Heating facilities or equipment available in the occupied conventional dwelling/other housing unit

(2.1.1)  Stove

(2.1.2)  Fireplace

(2.1.3)  Portable electric heater

(2.1.4)  Other

(2.2)  No heating at all.

614. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 120. The topic was included in the census by 39 of the 42 responding countries (93%), with all countries but one including the topic for each of the three categories of type of census.

615. Most countries (29 out of 35 reporting on this) used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR, at the most detailed 3-digit level in four countries. Only six countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	39	13	14	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	20	10	10	0
sample data	6	2	2	2
registers/admin.rec.	9	0	1	8
other (imputed)	2	0	0	2
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	4	2	0	2
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	5	1	4	0
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	20	7	8	5
NOT compliant with CES	6	1	1	4
Topic not included in the census	3	1	1	1

616. The topics presented above refer to various characteristics of dwellings and other housing units. However, the building containing conventional dwellings is also an important unit for the housing census since information on building characteristics such as type of building and period of construction is required to describe the dwellings within the building and for formulating housing programmes. Therefore, the CESR included also a number of topics on characteristics of buildings containing dwellings.

617. The CESR recommended (para. 980) that dwellings be classified by type of building where they are placed, using the following classification recommended at the one-, two- and three-digit level:

(1.0)  Residential buildings

(1.1)  Detached house (houses not attached to any other buildings)

(1.1.1)  Detached houses with one dwelling

(1.1.2)  Detached houses with two dwellings (with one above the other)

(1.2)  Semi-detached house (two attached dwellings)

(1.3)  Row (or terraced)  house (at least three attached or connected dwellings each with separate access to the outside)

(1.4)  Apartment buildings

(1.4.1)  Apartment buildings with three to nine dwellings

(1.4.2)  Apartment buildings with 10 or more dwellings

(1.5)  Other residential buildings

(2.0)  Non-residential buildings.

618. The CESR also noted that for some purposes it might be useful to classify the buildings by the number of dwellings that they contain and presented a separate classification (para. 982).

619. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 121. The topic was included in the census by 39 of the 42 responding countries (93%), with all countries but one including the topic for each of the three categories of type of census.

620. The majority of countries (25 out of 35 reporting on this, that is 71%) used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR, while 10 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 42 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	39	13	14	12
Main data source:
full enumeration	15	10	5	0
sample data	3	1	2	0
registers/admin.rec.	18	1	5	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	7	1	5	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	4	2	1	1
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	14	5	4	5
NOT compliant with CES	10	3	3	4
Topic not included in the census	3	1	1	1

621. This topic refers to the period of construction of the building, in terms of the date when the building was completed (CESR para. 988).

622. The following classification of dwellings by the period in which the construction of the building containing them was completed was recommended at the onedigit level and optional at the two-digit level:

(1.0)  Before 1919

(2.0)  1919 – 1945

(3.0)  1946 – 1960

(4.0)  1961 – 1970

(5.0)  1971 – 1980

(6.0)  1981 – 1990

(7.0)  1991 – 2000

(8.0)  2001 – 2010

(9.0)  2011 – 2015

(10.0)   2016 or later

(10.1)  2016

(10.2)  2017

(10.3)  2018

(10.4)  2019

(10.5)  2020

(10.6) 2021

623. The results of the UNECE survey are presented in Table 122. The topic was included in the census by 39 of the 41 responding countries (95%). The majority of countries (25 out of 36 reporting on this, that is 69%) used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR, while 11 countries used a classification not compliant.

	Total (out of 41 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (14 countries)	Combined (14 countries)	Register-based (13 countries)
Topic included in the census	39	13	13	13
Main data source:
full enumeration	16	9	7	0
sample data	6	3	2	1
registers/admin.rec.	15	0	3	12
Classification used:
fully compliant with CES at 3-digit level	4	3	0	1
fully compliant with CES at 2-digit level	5	2	1	2
fully compliant with CES at 1-digit level	16	3	9	4
NOT compliant with CES	11	4	2	5
Topic not included in the census	2	1	1	0

624. Most countries include all, or almost all of the core topics in their census. The topics that are not included in the census in most (more than 10) counties are water supply systems, toilet facilities and bathing facilities. For those topics, the CESR had recognised that in some countries it might be justified not to collect the data if the proportion of dwellings equipped with the facilities is very high, almost 100% nationally.

625. The topic useful floor space was not included in the census by eight countries but, according to the CESR, as an alternative to that topic, countries could report on the other topic number of rooms. All the other core topics were included in the census by 90% of the countries or more.

626. For most of the core topics, when they were included in the census, the large majority of countries used a classification that was fully compliant with the CESR at least at one-digit level. The compliance at two- and three-digit level is high for certain core topics, (e.g. type of heating, type of building and period of construction of building). In general, only a limited number of countries reported the use of other classifications than those specified in the CESR, except for some topics where some countries used EU classifications.

627. The most typical data source for the housing core topics is full enumeration followed by register/administrative data. The topics where register/administrative data is used the most include type of building, type of living quarters, period of construction and housing arrangements. On the other hand, full enumeration is by far the most common for occupancy status of conventional dwellings, type of ownership, number of rooms and type of heating.

628. The CESR also included a number of non-core topics on housing. The UNECE survey asked countries to report whether they included in their census those topics and also few other housing topics that were not listed in the CESR.

629. The results are presented in Table 123, with the topics ranked by the total number of countries that included the topic in the census. Main type of energy used for heating is the topic included in the census by most countries: 27, that is 60% of the responding countries. Other topics included in the census by many countries are type of sewage disposal system (20 countries), kitchen (20), piped gas (19), hot water (17) and electricity (17).

630. As the table shows, in general the number of countries including the topics is significantly lower for register-based censuses compared to the other census methods. The average number of topics included by countries with register-based censuses (3.1) is less than half compared to that of countries with field enumeration and combined censuses (respectively 6.6 and 6.3 topics). The median value is 2 topics for countries with register-based censuses against 7 for field enumeration censuses and 6 for combined censuses.

631. Among the countries with a register-based census, two included in the census a relatively high number of topics (16 in Spain and 10 in Finland), while all other countries included five or less topics, and six countries included none of them. Among the countries with a field enumeration or combined census, all countries included in the census at least one of the topics.

	Total (out of 45 countries)	Type of census
		Field enumeration (16 countries)	Combined (15 countries)	Register-based (14 countries)
CES non-core housing topics included in the census
Main type of energy used for heating	27	11	13	3
Type of sewage disposal system	20	8	9	3
Kitchen	20	10	6	4
Piped gas	19	10	7	2
Hot water	17	9	5	3
Electricity	17	10	4	3
Characteristics of secondary, seasonal and vacant dwellings and/or characteristics of dwellings with no occupants	14	5	5	4
Dwellings by number of floors in the building	14	6	7	1
Dwellings by materials of which specific parts of the building are constructed	14	6	6	2
Air-conditioning	13	7	5	1
Lift	13	5	4	4
Occupancy by number of private households	12	3	6	3
Position of dwelling in the building	11	3	7	1
Accessibility to dwelling	5	1	2	2
Dwellings by state of repair of the building	5	3	1	1
Type of rooms	3	2	0	1
Other housing topics (not listed in the CESR) included in the census
Information on entire buildings intended for habitation (beyond concepts already included in CESR)	3	1	1	1
Energy efficiency of buildings or dwellings (e.g. based on national efficiency classification or annual energy consumption)	2	1	1	0
Subjective perceptions of housing quality	2	0	1	1
Subjective perceptions of neighbourhood quality	2	0	1	1
Characteristics of neighbourhood or local environment (specify below)	1	0	0	1
Number of non-core and other housing topics included in the census per country
Mean	5.4	6.6	6.3	3.1
Median	5	7	6	2