(Item 3008)

CONTENTS

• Time reference
• Explanatory notes
• Cautionary notes regarding country estimates

Time reference

The estimates refer to mid-year assessments.

Explanatory notes

The annual series of demographic estimates, which are stored in this domain, consist of the following:

• total population by sex
• urban and rural population
• agricultural and non-agricultural population (AP and NON-AP)
• total economically active population or labour force (EAP) by sex
• economically active population (or labour force) in agriculture (EAPA) by sex

The annual series cover the period 1961-2001.

The total population series have been obtained from the UN Population Division, which prepares estimates and projections of the total population by sex and age for each fifth year from 1950 to 2050. These series are biennially revised and the present ones refer to the 2000 revision ("World Population Prospects: The 2000 Revision", United Nations, New York, 2001). As part of this biennial exercise the UN also derives annual estimates by interpolation. The figures for 1961-2001 presented here were extracted from the thus derived annual series.

The urban/rural population, the economically active population and the agricultural/non-agricultural population segments were obtained by systematically applying to the total population the series of relevant ratios (i.e. proportion of urban population, proportion of economically active population by sex and age, etc).

The annual series of the ratios of the urban/rural population and the total economically active population have been derived through interpolation of the series of ratios underlying the related long-term estimates and projections prepared by the UN (quinquennial series) and ILO (decennial series), respectively. For reference see: "World Urbanization Prospects: The 2001 Revision" (UN, New York, 2002) and "Economically active population, 1950-2010", Fourth edition, (ILO, Geneva, 1996).

The annual series of the ratios of agriculture in total labour force and in total population have been obtained by interpolating and extrapolating the past trends (1950-1990). Information on agricultural population derived from national population censuses or surveys is scarce. In deriving estimates and projections of agricultural population presented here, FAO has largely relied on the close relationship existing between the ratio of economically active population in agriculture to total economically active population (EAPA/EAP) and the ratio of agricultural population to total population (AP/TP). For most countries the ratios were assumed to be equal, so that the agricultural population is derived by applying the EAPA/EAP ratio to the total population.

Cautionary notes regarding country estimates

The basic sources used here (UN Population Division and ILO) provide world, continental and regional estimates that include all countries. However, for a number of small countries the estimates for some elements have not been presented separately. In order to allow for the calculation of the different country aggregates included in FAOSTAT (world, regions, economic groups, etc), FAO has prepared estimates for these countries. The countries involved are listed below with an indication (X) of the elements that have been estimated by FAO. Because of the very rough nature of the estimates, the figures for these countries are not shown separately.

In addition, it should be noted that, as in the case of the other FAOSTAT domains, Jordan refers to the East Bank only*, UK includes Channel Island and Isle of Man, and Australia includes Christmas Island, Cocos Islands and Norfolk Island.

* West Bank and Gaza Strip population estimates are not shown separately but are included in the world, continental and regional totals.