IPUMS International News

April 2024 Data Release

In April 2024 IPUMSI added 18 new census samples:

Census samples
Cambodia 2019
Denmark 1845, 1880, 1885
Côte d'Ivoire 1988, 1998
Laos 1995, 2015
Mexico 2020
Peru 2017
Puerto Rico 2015, 2020
Switzerland 2011
United Kingdom 1961, 1971
United States 2015, 2020
Vietnam 2019

Ivory Coast was a newly added country to IPUMS. Other samples extend pre-existing series for those countries. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page. With this 2024 release IPUMS International now provides access to data from the MOSAIC project. MOSAIC was developed by a team of historical demographers and includes 39 decentralized census datasets from areas of Europe. Although they are not harmonized into IPUMS International, most datasets have harmonized variable coding schemes that are compatible with other historical datasets in IPUMS International.

March 2022 Data Release

In March 2022 IPUMSI added 7 new census samples and 67 new labor force surveys:

Census samples
Chile 2017
Egypt 1848, 1868
Sierra Leone 2015
Slovak Republic 1991, 2001, 2011
Labor Force Surveys
Italy 2020 (first quarter)
Mexico 2005-2020 (quarterly)
Spain 2020 (quarterly)

Slovak Republic was a newly added country to IPUMS. Other samples extend pre-existing series for those countries. Additionally, recent labor force surveys were added from Italy, Mexico, and Spain. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page.

November 2020 Data Release

In November 2020 IPUMSI added 19 new census samples and new labor force surveys:

Census samples
Bolivia 2012
Cuba 2012
Finland 2010
Guinea 2014
Ireland 1901, 1911, 2016
Israel 2008
Mauritius 1990, 2000, 2011
Morocco 2014
Myanmar 2014
Palestine 2017
Senegal 2013
South Africa 2016
Suriname 2004, 2012
Uganda 2014
Labor Force Surveys
Italy 2019 (first quarter)
Spain 2019 (quarterly)

Finland, Mauritius, Myanmar, and Suriname were newly added countries to IPUMS. Other samples extend pre-existing series for those countries. Additionally, recent labor force surveys were added from Spain and Italy. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page.

IPUMS International Used for COVID-related Research

When COVID-19 hit the world in early 2020, researchers and policy institutes turned to IPUMS International census microdata to understand the demographic context of population vulnerability to the disease. Read more about projects undertaken by UNFPA and others in our blog post.

The IPUMS Bibliography

Did you know that IPUMS has a Bibliography? Find background literatures or new ideas for your research. Thanks to members of the IPUMS team, our bibliography now outperforms Google Scholar as a citation repository for research using IPUMS data. Read more about these efforts, and get tips for making the most of your search. Also, if you've done research using IPUMS data, don't forget to cite us!

IPUMS 2019 Research Award Winners!

IPUMS International, and other IPUMS projects, just announced their 2019 Research Award Winners. Congratulations to the authors of these great papers!

Published Research:

Giulia Ferrari and Ross Macmillan. "Until work do us part: Labour migration and occupational stratification in non-cohabiting marriage." Population Studies: A Journal of Demography, 73(2), 197-216. DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2019.1583359

Capitalizing on the availability of high-density census samples with broad geographic and temporal coverage from IPUMS International, Ferrari and Macmillan examine labor migration and occupational stratification in non-cohabiting marriage across individuals and households from 70 countries. The work extends our understanding of the relationship between non-cohabiting marriage and occupational stratification by considering the larger social context, particularly as it relates to labor mobility and economic development. Overall, Ferrari and Macmillan find broad cross-national differences in the prevalence of non-cohabiting marriage, a slight increase in risk over time, and a pattern of accumulating risk associated with social disadvantage. The work adds important dimensions to the study of modern families and the social factors that influence diverse family structures.

Student Research:

Tejesh Pradhan. "Socioeconomic Consequences of Birth Year Rainfall Shocks: Evidence from Rural Nepal." The World Bank.

Pradhan uses district-level measures monsoon rainfall in combination with birth year and location information from census microdata of Nepal, available through IPUMS International, to investigate the effects of rainfall shocks during infancy on later life outcomes. The research builds on an assumption that weather shocks affect nutrition, especially for subsistence households. Using a series of robust tests, Pradhan finds that higher birth year rainfall has statistically significant and positive effects on adult educational outcomes for females generally, for both males and females in the highest quintile of rainfall, and effects are slightly exaggerated for individuals from subsistence-level groups. The author suggests that findings provide further support for implementing agricultural insurance and safety net programs in order to combat food insecurity and poor infant nutrition.

Read about award winners from other IPUMS projects in our 2019 IPUMS Research Award Announcement.

IPUMS at ISI in Malaysia

IPUMS International and other international data projects at IPUMS attended the International Statistical Institute's World Statistics Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August. When we travel thousands of miles, we like to pack in as much data outreach as we can! From visits with local scholars to data partner meetings to conference presentations, the team makes the most of our visits abroad. We appreciate these opportunities to personally thank representatives of the National Statistical Offices worldwide who generously share their data with the global research community via IPUMS. Photos and more can be found on the blog post.

Webinar: Using the Online Tabulator

In July, we hosted a webinar highlighting the fast data tabulation system available through IPUMS. The rapid calculation capabilities and robust statistical options make the tabulator a very convenient tool for exploring, and even analyzing, the data from IPUMS International. The webinar provides a quick guide to getting started and exploring the tabulator capabilities.

Recordings of these are other tutorials can be accessed on the IPUMS support site.

Webinar: Geographic Variables and Shapefiles

In June, IPUMS International facilitated a webinar highlighting significant expansion and improvements to the geographic variables. IPUMS has created harmonized and year-specific geographic variables and corresponding shapefiles. The webinar gives a geographic variable overview and a brief demonstration of how to use the IPUMS data to create thematic maps.

Recordings of these are other tutorials can be accessed on the IPUMS support site.

August 2019 Data Release

In August 2019 IPUMS added 16 new census samples and 64 new labor force surveys:

Census samples
Cambodia 2004, 2013
Fiji 2014
Guatemala 1964, 1973, 1981, 1994, 2002
Nepal 2001, 2011
Laos 2005
Russia 2002, 2010
Togo 1960, 1970, 2010
Labor Force Surveys
Italy 2011-2018 (first quarter)
Spain 2005-2018 (quarterly)

The data for Guatemala, Laos, Russia, and Togo add entirely new countries to IPUMS. Other census samples extend pre-existing series for those countries. The data release adds to the collection, for the first time, fifty six new labor force surveys from Spain and eight from Italy. The release also includes six revised, higher-density samples for Brazil. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page.

Intro Webinars in English & Spanish

On March 28 and April 25, we facilitated introductory webinars in English and Spanish, respectively. The webinars provided an overview of the available datasets, topics, website features, and basics for accessing data and extracts in IPUMSI--the largest repository of census and survey microdata in the world! If you were unable to attend, we have posted the recorded English language version and the Spanish language version, as well as the follow-up English Q&A and Spanish Q&A.

September 2018 Data Release

In September 2018 IPUMS added 19 new census samples:

Benin 1979, 1992, 2002, 2013
Honduras 1961, 1974, 1988, 2001
Italy 2011
Lesotho 1996, 2006
Netherlands 2011
Philippines 2010
Papua New Guinea 1980, 1990, 2000
Rwanda 2012
United States 2015
Zimbabwe 2012

The data for Benin, Honduras, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and Zimbabwe add entirely new countries to IPUMS. Other samples extend pre-existing series for those countries. With the addition of these data, the IPUMS International collection now exceeds 1,000,000,000 person records. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page.

Historical data now available from IPUMS International

Historical census data for the period 1703 to 1911 are now available from IPUMS International. The complete count and sample datasets were previously disseminated by the North Atlantic Population Project (NAPP).

In March 2018 IPUMS added 44 historical datasets:

Canada 1852, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911
Denmark 1787, 1801
Iceland 1702, 1729, 1801, 1901, 1910
Germany (Mecklenburg-Schwerin) 1819
Norway 1801, 1865, 1876, 1900, 1910
Sweden 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910
United Kingdom 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911
United States 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910

The database now contains records for 988 million persons. The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page.

April 2017 data release

In April 2017 IPUMS added 24 new samples:

Belarus 2009
Botswana 1981, 1991, 2001,2011
Canada 2011
China 2000
Egypt 1986
Greece 2011
Hungary 2011
India 2009
Iran 2011
Mexico 2015
Poland 1978, 1988, 2002, 2011
Romania 2011
Tanzania 2012
Trinidad and Tobago 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2011

Botswana, Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago are new countries in IPUMS. The samples for Belarus, Canada, China, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Mexico, Romania, and Tanzania extend the pre-existing data series for those countries. The database now contains records for 672 million persons.

The full content of the IPUMS is summarized on the samples page. The next data release is scheduled for summer 2018.

As always, we are grateful to the National Statistical Offices who contributed their data for use by the research community.

IPUMS attends United Nations World Data Forum

In January 2017, IPUMS International staff participated in the first United Nations World Data Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. National Statistical Office representatives and data scientists from around the world explored the role of traditional and emerging data for monitoring and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IPUMS International held a workshop to showcase the benefits of IPUMS data for SDG monitoring, and hosted visitors at IPUMS exhibit during the week-long event.

IPUMS co-hosts 28th Population Census Conference

In September 2016, more than 60 census directors and official statisticians traveled to Minneapolis to attend the 28th Population Census Conference hosted by the Association of National Census and Statistics Directors of America, Asia, and the Pacific (ANCSDAAP), the United States Census Bureau, and the Minnesota Population Center. Attendees discussed topics related the conference theme: "The Future of Census Data Collection and Dissemination."

IPUMS at United Nations Commission on Population and Development

In April 2016, IPUMS-International project director Matt Sobek was invited to speak at an event for the United Nations' 49th Session of the Commission on Population and Development. The special session, "The Data Revolution in Action: National and International Experiences with Microdata Dissemination and Public Use," was created to show attendees examples of national and international organizations distributing data for public use. Sobek discussed the work of IPUMS-International and other IPUMS data projects to a group of more than 400 attendees, specifically elaborating on IPUMS experience of microdata dissemination and spatial integration.

NIH extends IPUMS Eurasia project to 2021

In April 2016 the National Institutes of Health extended the IPUMS Eurasia project for an additional five years. The NIH grant focuses on data processing and other activities in Asia and Europe. The NIH grant funds the project through 2021.

2015 IPUMS International Research Award winners

The winners of the 2015 IPUMS-International Research Awards are:

Faculty: Benoît Laplante, Teresa Castro-Martín, Clara Cortina, and Teresa Martín-García, "Childbearing within Marriage and Consensual Union in Latin America, 1980-2010." Population and Development Review (2015) 41: 85-108. Graduate student: Andres Castro Torres, "Social Structure, Social Class and Fertility Decline in Latin America between 1950 and 2000."

September 2015 data release

In September 2015 IPUMS added 19 new samples for Armenia, Austria, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Mozambique, Paraguay, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and Spain. The database now contains records for 614 million persons.

NSF extends IPUMS project to 2019

In September 2014 the National Science Foundation extended the IPUMS project for an additional five years. The NSF grant complements the two NIH regional grants that specifically support data development in Latin America and Eurasia. The NSF grant funds the project through 2019.

July 2014 data release

In July 2014, IPUMS added 20 new samples for Dominican Republic, Ghana, Ireland, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Zambia. Several of the samples extend the pre-existing data series for a country. The database now contains records for 560 million persons.

Geography variables reorganized and expanded

In addition to the new samples, in July 2014 we significantly revised the geographic variables. IPUMS has developed subnational geographies for each country that are consistent over time and have associated GIS shape files. To distinguish the harmonized and unharmonized geographic variables, which will ultimately be available at the first and second administrative levels for most countries, we have imposed a new, more systematic variable-naming convention.

The variable GEOLEV1 combines the harmonized first-level subnational units for all countries into a single variable. It allows global analysis and mapping (with its associated shape file) of the entire database at the first administrative level.

July 2013 data release

In July 2013, IPUMS added 27 new samples for Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ecuador, Fiji, Haiti, Kenya, Krygyz Republic, Panama, South Sudan, and the United States. A number of the samples extend the pre-existing data series for a country. The database now contains records for 543,968,021 persons.

Online tabulator

Registered users can now analyze IPUMS International data online without needing to download data or using a statistical package. The system will do simple tabulations as well as more sophisticated multivariate analyses. Tabulations can be as fast as a few seconds. Go to the online tabulator page and read the instructions for more information on the sytem.

Classroom accounts

IPUMS International users can now set up classroom accounts. The accounts enable instructors to share extracts directly with students through the IPUMS web site. Student registrations are also easier, and instructors can see who is registered and therefore legally entitled to receive IPUMS data. Go to the classroom registration page for more information.

NIH extends Latin America project to 2018

In February 2013 the National Institutes of Health extended the IPUMS-Latin America project, enabling the processing of new samples and various enhancements. The project is funded through 2018.

June 2012 data release

In June 2012, IPUMS added 26 new samples for El Salvador, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Turkey, and Uruguay. The data release includes approximately 40 new integrated and 2300 unharmonized variables.

Integrated Demographic and Health Series (DHS) project funded

In April 2012 the National Institutes of Health funded a new five-year project to create an IPUMS-style web dissemination system for the Demographic and Health Surveys. In collaboration with MEASURE DHS and USAID, the project will build a data system based on the IPUMS design that will allow browsing of DHS content and creation of user-specified data extracts that pool data across any combination of DHS samples. In the initial project period most samples for Africa will be included in addition to the samples for India. The system will be implemented on the MEASURE DHS web site, and user approvals for accessing the data will continue to be managed by MEASURE DHS. A preliminary site provides more information about the IDHS project. The initial release of the new IDHS system is planned for spring 2014.

2011 IPUMS International Research Award winners

The winners of the 2011 IPUMS-International Research Awards are:

Published work: Jeroen J.A. Spijker and Albert Esteve, "Changing Household Patterns of Young Couples in Low- and Middle-Income Countries." History of the Family (2011) 16: 437-455. Graduate student: Andrew Halpern-Manners, "The Effect of Family Member Migration on Education and Work Among Nonmigrant Youth in Mexico." Demography (2011) 48: 73-99.

Terra Populus Project funded by NSF

In September 2011 the U.S. National Science Foundation funded a new five-year project at the Minnesota Population Center, Terra Populus, that will combine various types of geospatially organized data into a single data dissemination system. The first version of the system will include population, climate, and land use data, and should become available to researchers in betatest form in 2013. The population microdata will initially come from the IPUMS-International project and will be subject to the IPUMS user registration requirements.

IPUMS Workshop in Dublin, August 2011

The Minnesota Population Center, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the International Statistical Institute, held an IPUMS-International workshop for data producers and researchers at Trinity College, Dublin, August 7, 2011. More than 40 participants from national statistical offices and universities attended the day-long meeting to discuss upcoming censuses, new research possibilities, and the features of the IPUMS data series.

June 2011 data release

In June 2011, IPUMS added 26 samples for Cambodia, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Malawi, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Vietnam. The data release includes approximately 40 new integrated and 2100 unharmonized variables.

2010 IPUMS International Research Award winners

The winners of the 2010 IPUMS International Research Awards are:

Published work: Hoyt Bleakley, "Malaria Eradication in the Americas: A Retrospective Analysis of Childhood Exposure," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2:2 (2010). Graduate student: Willa Friedman, "Local Economic Conditions and Participation in the Rwandan Genocide," Department of Economics, University of California at Berkeley, December 30, 2010.

Improved variable browsing and data extraction

In February 2011 we introduced a new version of the web user interface for browsing variables and creating data extracts. The new system is explicitly designed around the concept of a "data cart" to which one adds variables and samples while browsing, and from which one "checks out" to generate a data extract. The new system involves less visible technical improvements that are a better platform for a number of new features we are planning.

IPUMS Workshop in Havana, November 2010

The Minnesota Population Center, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Latin American Population Association (ALAP), held an IPUMS-International workshop for researchers and data producers at the National Hotel in Havana, Cuba, November 14, 2010. More than 60 participants from national statistical offices and Latin American universities attended the day-long meeting to discuss upcoming censuses, new research possibilities, and the features of the IPUMS data series.

June 2010 data release

In June 2010, IPUMS added 28 samples for Cuba, Mali, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Switzerland, Tanzania and Thailand. The data release includes approximately 55 new integrated and 2500 unharmonized variables.

We also added a discussion of variance estimation that highlights situations where sample design can significantly affect standard errors. We will add more tools in the future to aid proper variance estimation.

2009 IPUMS-International Research Award winners

The winners of the 2009 IPUMS International Research Awards were:

Published work: Cynthia Feliciano, "Gendered selectivity: U.S. Mexican Immigrants and Mexican Nonmigrants, 1960-2000." Latin American Research Review, 43: 139-160. Graduate student: Misty Heggeness, "Global trends in marital instability from 1970 to the present: Do economic opportunity and economic development matter?"

Mortality, fertility, migration module data

We added downloadable datasets containing fertility, mortality and migration events. These data do not fit within the normal data structure handled by the extract system, but they can be matched to extracted data, giving researchers access to the full information in these census modules. See the supplemental data page.

Improved web dissemination system

We redesigned the web interface to combine variable browsing and data extraction. The new system includes a variable search feature for the first time. The data extract system is also faster.

NIH extends Eurasia project to 2014

In January 2009 the National Institutes of Health extended the IPUMS-Europe project while expanding its scope to include Asia as well as Europe. The project is funded through 2014.

May 2009 data release

In May 2009, IPUMS added 19 new samples for Armenia, Bolivia, France, Guinea, India, Italy, Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Romania, Slovenia, and South Africa. The data release includes approximately 60 new integrated and 1700 unharmonized variables.

GIS boundary files were added with this data release, enabling the mapping of the geographic variables relating to the country level and to the first administrative level within each country.

NSF extends IPUMS International project to 2014

In spring 2009 the U.S. National Science Foundation granted the IPUMS International project its second 5-year extension, to 2014. The resulting data series is expected to include approximately 70 countries and 250 samples by the conclusion of the grant in 2014.

2008 IPUMS-International Research Award Winners

The winners of the 2008 IPUMS International Research Awards are:

Senior scholar: David Lam and Leticia Marteleto, "Stages of the demographic transition from a child's perspective: family size, cohort size, and children's resources" Junior scholar: Kevin J.A. Thomas, "The human capital characteristics and household living standards of returning international migrants in Eastern and Southern Africa" Student: Claire Chase, Tobenna Anekwe, Jeremy Barofsky, and Farzadfar Farshad, "Economic effects of malaria eradication: evidence from an eradication experiment in Kigezi, Uganda"

June 2008 data release

In June 2008, IPUMS added 32 new samples for Austria, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela. We also added approximately 100 new internationally harmonized variables and 2000 unharmonized variables specific to the individual samples.

The primary data improvement of this release is the development of location-of-mother and location-of-father variables for every sample in the data series. The parent locators identify the record number within the household of each person's mother or father.

The other major development this data release is a significant redesign of the variable browsing and data extraction system. Users have more control over how they view the variables. The extract system now allows users to customize the size of their data extracts, and the system can attach spouse or parental characteristics as new variables on a person's record.

NIH extends Latin America project to 2013

In February 2008, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded the Minnesota Population Center a major grant to extend and expand the IPUMS-International Latin America project. The 5-year grant will add approximately 35 new samples, including the 2010 round of censuses. In addition it will develop better geographic tools to help realize the research potential of the unprecedented concentration of public data from the region.

June 2007 data release

In June 2007 IPUMS added 17 new samples for Argentina, Hungary, Israel, Palestine, Portugal, and Rwanda.

The primary data improvement was the development of a location-of-spouse variable for every sample in the data series. The spouse locator (SPLOC) identifies the record number within the household of each person's spouse, making it easy for researchers to attach spouse's characteristics as new variables on a person's record.

December 2006 data release

In December 2006 we added 16 new samples for Belarus, Cambodia, Greece, Philippines, Romania, Spain, and Uganda.

The data release introduced some major innovations designed to make the site more useful and user-friendly. The most important improvements include the addition of approximately 5000 unharmonized source variables, the ability to filter all variable-level documentation, the creation of separate general and detailed versions of complex variables, and the identification of more geographic units.

IPUMS Meeting in Paris, June 2006

Hosted by the Institut National D'études Démographiques, and with funding from the European Union and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, representatives from 12 European countries met in Paris in June 2006 to discuss European census data harmonization within IPUMS-International. At the meeting, representatives from the Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics of the Univeristat Autònoma de Barcelona presented their plans for a parallel data site specific to Europe. The meeting was also attended by several non-European representatives who participated in a global IPUMS workshop following the European meeting. In the workshop, members of African and American countries discussed their census integration challenges and contributed their data to the IPUMS project. The workshop was hosted by the Centre Population et Développement.

June 2006 data release

In June 2006 we added 19 samples for Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, South Africa, and Venezuela.

The release also introduced dynamic generation of the main variables page, on-line case-counts for all variables, and the ability to compile enumeration text on demand for each harmonized variable.

December 2005 data release

In December 2005 we added approximately 40 household variables and 100 person variables across all samples. The person variables include nearly all substantive variables from first 28 samples in the data series.

The web site also included an improved version of our data extraction software. The key feature of the new Java system is the ability to revise old extracts and resubmit them without having to step through the entire extract process. The system also has some new features such as the ability, when doing case selection, of either including only persons who meet the selection criteria or including all persons residing in households with someone meeting the selection criteria.

IPUMS-Europe Workshop in Spain, July 2005

Representatives from 14 European countries met in Barcelona in July 2005 to discuss plans for European census data harmonization within IPUMS-International. The meeting was hosted by the Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics of the Univeristat Autònoma de Barcelona, with funding from the European Union and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Several non-European countries also attended the meetings and contributed their data to the greater IPUMS undertaking.

NSF Infrastructure Grant expands IPUMS-I

The National Science Foundation awarded the Minnesota Population Center a major grant to expand and integrate the work of the IPUMS-International projects. The 5-year grant promises a data series consisting of 130 samples from 40 countries. It is an extension of the original IPUMS-International NSF grant, covering 28 samples from 8 countries, which will be completed in Fall 2005. The new grant was the only infrastructure project funded from this year's Human and Social Dynamics initiative. The infrastructure project adds an advisory board of noted specialists to help ensure this important investment leads to the most useful possible product for researchers.

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