1. What is present population of world?

2. What is present population of Nepal?

3. How many students are there in your class?

Think critically, how are these data determined?

 Etymology of “Demography”
Greek words “Demos” meaning people and “Graphia” meaning to study

History of demography Achille Guillard (1855 AD) first person to use the word
John Graunt (1662 AD) first person to examine “Demography” in his book “Comparative Demography”
the trend of mortality and fertility from the death Demography is the statistical knowledge of human
record maintained by the churches in London in population
his book “Natural and Political Observation
Made upon the Bills of Mortality”
Known as Father of demography

Definition
Demography is the mathematical, statistical and scientific study of the size, composition,
distribution and other changes of population.
 Demography

Formal Social
demography demography
 ➢ Mathematical or quantitative study of human population
➢ It has narrower concept
➢ Traditional concept of population statistics
➢ It refers to size of population, distribution, composition and
statistical study of human population
Definitions
UN Multilingual Demographic Dictionary (1958 AD)
Formal demography is the scientific study of human population, primarily with respect to their size,
structure, distribution and their development

Shryock and Siegel (1976 AD)

Formal demography is the study concerned with the size, distribution and changes of population
 ➢ Also known as population studies
➢ Qualitative and quantitative study of human population
➢ It has broader concept
➢ Modern concept of population statistics
➢ It refers to size of population, distribution, composition and
statistical study of human population and factors affecting them
Definitions
Shryock and Siegel (1976 AD)
Social demography is the study concerned not only with population variables like fertility, mortality and
migration but also with the relationships between population changes and other variables like social,
economic, political, geographical, environmental, genetic, biological and the like.

Colin Newell (1987 AD)

Social demography is the scientific study of human population with the treatment of relationship between
demographic events and socio-economic and other phenomenon.
 ➢ Also known as demographic data
➢ Population data refers to the information about socio-economic and demographic
characteristics of human population

Sources of population data

Primary Sources Secondary Sources

• Census • Textbooks
• Vital registration system • Research reports
• Sample survey • Statistical year books
• Administrative record • Population monographs
• Population register • Periodic journals
• First hand data collected by the researcher for specific purposes
• Provides raw information
• Data are collected through interviews, transcripts, statistical data, etc.

Examples
• Census
• Vital registration system
• Sample survey
• Administrative record
• Population register
 Vital Registration System
• Also known as civil registration system
• Vital registration system is defined as a continuous, permanent and compulsory
legal registration and statistical recording of vital events which include: birth,
death, marriage, divorce, re-marriage, migration, adoption, etc. primarily for their
value as legal document and secondarily for their usefulness as a source of
population statistics

United Nations
The legal registration, statistical recording and
the reporting of the occurrence of events and
the collection, compilation, analysis,
presentation, publication and distribution of
statistics pertaining to vital events which, in turn,
include births, deaths, fetal death, still births,
marriage, divorce, adoption, legitimation,
recognition, annulment and legal separation
 Britain Sweden Canada Denmark Norway Britain

1563 AD 1836 AD
First VRS 16th century A civil law
Records of First scientific for
VRS compulsory
vital events
like birth, registration
deaths was of marriage,
kept in the birth and
church deaths
 Vital registration system in Nepal

2021 BS 1st Baishakh 2035 BS

(1964 AD) (14th April 1978 AD)

Introduction of VRS Establishment of Registration of vital events in

through enactment office of registral 75 districts under Ministry of
Local development
of law office

CBS started pilot Registration of vital events

started in 10 districts (1 in
project of vital
Kathmandu valley & 9 in
registration in the Terai) of Nepal
Kathmandu valley 1st Baishakh 2047 BS
2019 BS 2033 BS
(14th April 1990 AD)
(1962 AD) (1976 AD)
 • Vital events like birth, death, migration, divorce, adoption, etc. are registered and filed
separately for every event and form
• Local registrars provide Event Registration Certificate to related people for every event

Registration
events

Birth Death Marriage Divorce Migration

registration registration registration registration registration
I. It is an important mechanism to study dynamism of
population
II. Record is kept to fill certain forms separately for registration
of vital events under this system
III. Vital events are registered regularly under this system
IV. This system is found in matured stage in developed countries.
In developing countries, it still shows some immaturity.
V. It excludes the entire process up to publication from data
collection
VI. It is to be supposed the primary source of population data
VII. At first, events are registered, then certified and finally,
certificate is given
1. Vital statistics is useful to check the accuracy of the census and survey data
2. This is a source for reliable population data
3. Data can be available continuously under this system
4. Vital events help to know the future trend of population and also make
precise projection of future population
5. Vital statistics is useful in disease eradication programmes because the
causes of death are identified
6. It helps the individuals to get citizenship certificates
7. Vital events help the policy makers, researchers, economists, politicians,
statisticians and others to perform social activities
1. Only limited events are recorded
2. No individual is responsible for this work fully
3. Completeness and accuracy depends on the reporting near the
time of occurrence
4. There is no provision of reward and punishment if people do not
register vital events