Coverage rate

The coverage rate indicates the proportion of the target population counted by the census. Typically, this relates to the resident population of New Zealand.

The coverage rate, or net census undercount rate, relates the number of people who were counted in the census with the number who should have been counted. The latter is measured by the Post-Enumeration Survey, although an interim measure in 2018 was provided by Dual System Estimation benchmarks. The coverage rate is usually expressed as a percentage of what should have been the complete count (ie the expected number of New Zealand residents in New Zealand on census night).

(Census usually resident population count)/(Estimated usually resident population on census night from PES)

Separate measures of census undercount, census overcount, and net census undercount are typically calculated.

See also ‘Post-Enumeration Survey’ and 'Dual System Estimation benchmark' in this definitions group.