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EU legislation in the field of demographic statistics obliges EU members to follow agreed concepts, definitions, and breakdowns to ensure comparability of the demographic data they transmit to Eurostat.

European demographic statistics are internationally comparable as they follow the internationally agreed concepts and definitions adapted, where needed, to fulfil EU purposes.

Concepts and definitions

The main concept is the definition of international migration flows. The following definitions are applied:

  • immigration: the action by which a person establishes his or her usual residence in the territory of an EU country for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months, having previously been usually resident in another EU or third country;
  • emigration: the action by which a person, having previously been usually resident in the territory of an EU country, ceases to have his or her usual residence in that country for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months;
  • usual residence: the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment, or religious pilgrimage or, in default, the place of legal or registered residence. The following persons alone are considered to be usual residents of the geographical area:
    a) those who have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time; or
    b) those who arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference time with the intention of staying there for at least one year;
  • acquisition of citizenship: refers to those granted to persons having their usual residence in the territory of the EU country and who have acquired that country's citizenship. These citizens had previously held the citizenship of another EU country, a third-country or had been considered stateless.

More information

Data sources

Following EU legislation in the field of international migration statistics, countries are free to choose the data sources that they have available nationally and the methodologies they consider fit-for-purpose to compile statistics for Eurostat while ensuring consistency and comparability.

Support for statisticians

Eurostat is providing practical guidance for official statisticians on the issues triggered by the war against Ukraine.

Methodological note16 January 2023
Guidance on the inclusion of refugees from Ukraine who benefit from temporary protection in the EU in the usually resident population
English
(560 KB - PDF)
Download

Please consult also our methodological publications.