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Counting the costs of a twenty-first century census: South Africa's census 2001

Increasingly complex societies necessitate the collection of more information, or more sophisticated ways of estimation. This places upward pressure on the cost of collecting such information, as family structures are more complex, mobility more frequent, and willingness to provide information declines. As a result, rising census costs have become an issue in many countries. South Africa's 2001 Census was arguably the most expensive in the country's history. However, assessing the cost of a census requires a closer scrutiny of the cost of census-taking as well as the procedures that were followed and the benefits that might arise. This paper uses information provided by Statistics South Africa to analyse the cost of Census 2001 and explore lessons that may be derived for future census activities.