Place of birth of person

Status: This was the departmental standard from September 20, 2010 to January 10, 2016.

Definition

Place of birth refers to the name of the province, territory or country in which the person was born. It may refer to a province or territory if the person was born in Canada. It refers to a country if the person was born outside Canada. The geographic location is specified according to boundaries current at the time the data are collected, not the boundaries at the time of birth.

Person refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programs.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard conforms to the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations' Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 2, 2008. In its discussion of place of birth and country of birth, the United Nations (UN) notes the importance of distinguishing between those born in the country where the census is taken and those born elsewhere. For the foreign born, the UN recommends collecting information on the specific country of birth, according to national boundaries existing at the time of the census. This standard follows this recommendation. For those born in the country, the UN recommends that place of birth is coded to the geographic unit in which the person was born. Two possibilities are recognized for the latter: the geographical unit (e.g., province or territory) in which the birth took place or the geographical unit in which the person's mother resided at the time of the person's birth. Countries should state which of these definitions is used. This standard conforms to the first of these two options, defining "place of birth" with reference to the geographic unit where the person was born. The geographic unit in which the person's mother resided is reported as a completely distinct variable "mother's usual place of residence".

This standard also conforms to the Conference of European Statistician's Recommendations for the 2010 Censuses of Population and Housing which are the same as those offered by the UN and referred to above.

Classifications

• Classification of place of birth September 20, 2010 to current
• Countries and Areas of Interest for Social Statistics - SCCAI 2011 February 20, 2012 to March 19, 2017
• Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest (SCCAI) 2011 February 20, 2012 to March 19, 2017
• Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2011 May 16, 2011 to May 15, 2016
• Countries and Areas of Interest for Social Statistics - SCCAI 2010 January 17, 2011 to February 19, 2012
• Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest (SCCAI) 2010 January 17, 2011 to February 19, 2012
• Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2006 January 16, 2007 to May 15, 2011
• Countries and Areas of Interest for Social Statistics - SCCAI 2009 May 17, 2010 to January 16, 2011
• Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest (SCCAI) 2009 May 17, 2010 to January 16, 2011

Relation to previous version

• Place of birth of person January 11, 2016 to current

  This standard has been updated by modifying the definition of place of birth and adding an Additional information section.

• Place of birth of person September 20, 2010 to January 10, 2016

  This standard reformats the previous standards for place of birth: Place of birth, Canada and Place of birth, outside Canada. The classification for those born in Canada has been replaced. The classification for those born outside Canada has been replaced.

• Place of birth July 15, 1998 to September 19, 2010

  This was the departmental standard from July 15, 1998 to September 19, 2010.

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