Definition: Component method

Category: Demography

Method to determine the population size at a given moment with the aid of changes in the population. Given the size of the population on a given date, usually 1 January of a calendar year t, the numbers of births and immigrants during the calendar year t are added and the number of deaths and emigrants during that year subtracted. The resulting figure is the number of inhabitants on 1 January of calendar year t+1. The data collected in the population census are usually the basis for this method. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/statmanuals/files/KS-CC-03-005-EN.pdf