Census is the set of statistic data that informs different characteristics of the inhabitants of a city, a state or a nation.
The word comes from the Latin “census” which means "estimate". In Ancient Rome, the census was taken to identify landowners and determine the payment of taxes.
In the Middle Ages, census was also a type of annual pension that serfs paid to the master for possession of land or for a contract.
A census or demographic census is a “portrait” of the population that shows who they are, where they are and how the inhabitants of a given nation live. Through the census, it is possible to follow the evolution of a population over time.
The demographic census is the main source of data on the population that inhabits each location, consisting of the most important consultation instrument for the creation of strategies and decision-making on investments in areas such as Education, Health, Culture and Infrastructure.
The census is carried out in almost every country in the world every 10 years. In Brazil, the first demographic census was carried out in 1872. In 2010 the XII Demographic Census was carried out by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the entity responsible for preparing the Brazilian demographic census since 1940.
In education, the School Census is carried out, which collects specific statistical data from public and private schools across the country.
