Censo 2021 versus Padrón 2021¡Y algunas otras cuestiones censales!

Abstract

While the Padrón is an administrative registry subject to strict legal regulations, the census is a statistical estimate of the population that, although based on the Padrón, does not provide the same numerical results. This paper compares some demographic results of the 2021 census with the same variables of the Padrón at different geo- graphical scales. For the first time since the census and Padron figures were decoupled after the establishment of the Padrón continuo at the end of the last century, both statistics coincide in reference date, allowing a com- prehensive and accurate comparison. In addition to comparing the results for various classifi- cation variables at the national, Spanish Autonomous Community (CC. AA.), province and municipality levels, we also compare the resident population figures at the census section level, where we find striking differences in some cases. Finally, a relatively new census product is compared, the standardized population grid at European level, known as GEOSTAT. In this case, the comparison takes place be- tween the grid of the last census 2021, with that of the previous census, 2011, which was the first time that the National Statistics Institute (INE) offered this product.