Age of person

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on July 31, 2026.

Definition

Age refers to the number of years a person has lived as of their last birthday (or relative to a specified, well-defined reference date).

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

Derivation

The variable 'age of person' is usually derived, meaning it is calculated using the person's date of birth and the date of declaration or other well-defined reference date.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard conforms to the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conference of European Statisticians (UNECE-CES) "Recommendations for the 2030 Round of Population and Housing Censuses", 2025. The UNECE-CES publication (section 15.3) recommends calculating age from date of birth rather than asking it directly, which allows age to be calculated more precisely.

Measurements

  • 'Age' is expressed in individual years of age ranging from 0 (less than one year) to the maximum number on the file. May 22, 2007 to current

Classifications

Relation to previous version

  • Age of person July 31, 2026 to current

    The definition of 'age' has been modified, but the meaning is unchanged. The Classification of age categories by five-year age groups has been slightly modified.

  • Age of person May 22, 2007 to July 30, 2026

    A classification by single years of age has been added. In the classification of five-year age groups, the top five categories in the previous classification have been collapsed into one category. These top categories were collapsed to reflect the population numbers in these categories and the reliability of the data in this part of the age range. The classification Age by life cycle groupings, which was part of the previous standard, is no longer recognized as part of the standard for age.

  • Age by Life Cycle Groupings July 15, 1998 to May 21, 2007

    This standard was replaced by the 'Age of person' as of May 22, 2007.

  • Age July 15, 1998 to May 21, 2007

    This standard was replaced by the 'Age of person' as of May 22, 2007.

Date modified: