Page 288 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 1

IPS153 Jay L. et al.

Transforming population and migration statistics
using admin data: Progress on the England
and Wales Transformation Journey
Jay Lindop, Becky Tinsley
Office for National Statistics, England and Wales

Abstract
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been using integrated data to
pursue the UK Government ambition that ‘censuses after 2021 will be based
on alternative sources of data.’ ONS is working with other National Statistics
Institutes (NSIs) which are also looking at the use of administrative data for
their censuses. The Administrative Data Census project has made progress in:
producing a range of Research Outputs that are typically produced by the ten-
yearly census; comparing these outputs with official statistics; and seeking
feedback from users. A key milestone in this ambitious programme of work is
to put administrative data at the core of population and migration statistics
for England and Wales by Spring 2020. This paper summarises progress
towards this milestone, where the aim is to produce a coherent set of
estimates for both population size (stocks) and components of population
change (flows), highlighting methodological challenges and our approach to
tackle them in order to deliver this transformational change.

Keywords
Population statistics; Migration statistics; Administrative data; Data
integration; Transformation

1. Introduction
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is transforming the way we
produce population and migration statistics, to better meet the needs of our
users. Working in partnership across the Government Statistical Service (GSS),
1
we are progressing a programme of work to put administrative data at the
core of our evidence on international migration (UK) and on population
(England and Wales) by 2020 . This ambition is based on our current plans for
2
acquiring access to the further administrative data sources we need to deliver
this. Our work programme is also an integral part of the work over the next
four years to make a recommendation to the UK Government in 2023 about
the future of population and housing censuses in England and Wales.

1 Administrative data refers to data collected by other organisations (such as government departments) to
support the delivery of services or for other operational purposes.
2 International migration is a reserved policy area whereas population is devolved so ONS official statistics
cover migration at a UK level and population for England and Wales. See section 2 which explains the
different systems for measuring the population in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
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