Comparability — Afghanistan [top]

Urban and rural status was determined at the Enumeration Area level. These enumeration areas correspond to areas identified by the Afghan Central Statistical Office in preparation for upcoming censuses.

Comparability — Albania [top]

Urban and rural status was determined by law at the Municipality/Commune level, where urban areas are identified as municipalities, and rural areas are identified as communes. As of the 2000 census, the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) had identified 65 urban municipalities, and 308 rural communes.

Comparability — Algeria [top]

The 2012 and 2018 Algeria samples relied on the urban and rural definitions from the 2008 census. Urban areas were defined as (1) having a minimum of 5,000 inhabitants; (2) less than 25% of the population being involved in agriculture; (3) connection to the water network (AEP); (4) connection to the electrical grid; (5) connection to a sewer system and (6) at least three of the five following conditions: the presence of a hospital or polyclinic, the presence of a high school or middle school, the presence of socio-cultural facilities (nurseries, youth centers, community centers, etc.), the presence of administrative facilities (post offices, courts, administrative offices, etc.). If these conditions were not met, the area was considered rural.

Comparability — Argentina [top]

URBAN is only available for the 2011 Argentina sample, however, both the 2011 and 2019 samples include only urban respondents. In all Argentina samples, urban areas were defined as having 5,000 or more population.

Comparability — Bangladesh [top]

In Bangladesh, urban is administratively defined. Bangladesh Census Bureau defines urban areas to include any developed areas around an identified central place with amenities such as paved roads, electricity, gas, water supply, sewerage, and sanitation; which is densely populated; where most of the population is employed in nonagricultural sectors; and where a sense of community is well developed. Urban centers with a population of 100,000 or more are defined as a "city". Altogether, there are 42 such cities in Bangladesh. An urban center with a population of less than 100,000 is defined as a "town". In total, there are 490 such towns in Bangladesh. In addition, there are another 203 towns which are Upazila centers, and other urban centers. Any area not officially defined as urban is considered rural.

The 2006 sample provided additional categories to simply urban and rural. These include slum or informal settlements which are areas identified in the Slum Survey conducted by BBS in 1997 which are located in Dhaka and Chittagong, and tribal areas which are areas taken from the three divisions of Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi where tribal populations reside. The mauza/mahallas (lowest administrative unit with a boundary) in these divisions having tribal population were considered as the domain for the selection of the primary sampling units (PSUs) from these areas.

Comparability — Barbados [top]

Rural status in the 2012 MICS survey followed from definitions provided by the National Statistics Service, Barbados. These definitions, however, were not described in the 2012 report and are not readily accessible.

Comparability — Belarus [top]

In Belarus, urban and rural areas are classified by the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis. Cities (urban-type settlements) and industrial communities are considered urban. There is no population threshold to determine rural or urban status.

Comparability — Belize [top]

In Belize, all areas that have been officially designated towns or cities are classified as urban, while all other areas, including villages and settlements, are classified as rural. The designation of an area as a city, town or village is currently effected via administrative decree, through the issuance of a Statutory Instrument. For an area to be designated as urban, the population should be greater than 3,000, have access to utilities, and have lower levels of participation in agriculture (both fishing and farming).

The 2006 sample uses enumeration districts created for the 2000 census, while the 2011 and 2015 use enumeration districts created for the 2010 census. Users should be aware that areas classified as urban or rural may vary between these surveys.

Comparability — Benin [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2014 or 2021 MICS Benin survey. Previous censuses define urban areas as administrative centers of communes with (1) at least 10,000 residents and at least one important infrastructural service such as post office, treasury office, water supply or electrical system, medical center, school with secondary education, etc. or (2) a district with at least 10,000 inhabitants and at least four qualifying infrastructural services.

Comparability — Bhutan [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2010 MICS Bhutan survey. According to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the urban-rural definition used in the 2005 census follows the classification of the Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services (DUDES). For an area to be declared as ‘urban’ (thromde) the following criteria (up to 75% implying 4 out of the 5 outlined) should be met: a) a minimum population of 1,500 people; b) a population density of 1,000 persons or more per square kilometer; c) more than fifty percent of the population should depend on non primary activities; d) the area of the urban center should not be less than 1.5 square kilometers; and e) potential for future growth of the urban center particularly in terms of its revenue base. As of 2005, there are 28 declared urban centers and 26 satellite towns. In the 2017 census, there are a total of 64 urban centers in Bhutan. These include the four thromdes, 18 dzongkhag towns, and 42 other local towns.

Comparability — Bosnia and Herzegovina [top]

Urban and rural status was determined by law at Settlement level. As of 2013, the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina had identified 110 urban settlements, and all other areas were considered rural.

Comparability — Burkina Faso [top]

Urban and rural status was determined at the Commune level. Urban communes are identified as the capital of each province, and the national capital of Ouagadougou. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Burundi [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2005 MICS Burundi survey.

Comparability — Cameroon [top]

The 2006 and 2014 Cameroon samples used definitions of urban and rural corresponding to the 2005 census. Urban areas are defined as an entity which either has an administrative function (i.e. capital of a district), or has a population of at least 5,000 inhabitants and the following facilities: a complete primary school, a developed health center, water supply and electricity facilities, and a daily market. A rural area is a traditional unit headed by a third class chief, and made up of one or more localities or towns (an inhabited site with boundaries, identified by a name recognized by the people). The regions of Douala and Yaoundé are considered entirely urban, while all other regions contain both urban and rural areas.

Comparability — Central African Republic [top]

In Central African Republic, according to the 2003 Population and Housing Census, capitals of prefectures, capitals of sub-prefectures, towns with more than 5,000 population, and all areas that contain a daily market, a full-cycle primary school, a health center, and map showing comprehensive recordings of property rights are considered urban. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Chad [top]

Both the 2010 and 2019 samples for Chad used definitions from the 2009 census. The census defined urban areas as the capitals of each of the 61 departments, and all of the commune of N'Djaména. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Comoros [top]

The 2022 Comoros survey relied on definitions of urban enumeration areas as defined by the 2017 census. On Ngazidja, Moroni was considered entirely urban.

Comparability — Congo [top]

The 2014-2015 MICS Congo survey for Congo Brazzaville was carried out using a two-stage probabilistic area sample with first-stage stratification according to place of residence. Each of the twelve departments of Congo Brazzaville was treated as a field of study.

With respect to the rural and urban classification, Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire were totally urban departments; they formed the two urban strata. The three departments comprising communes and districts Niari, Bouenza, and Sangha were subdivided into both urban and rural forming three urban and three rural strata. The other seven departments of the country were totally rural. Stratification thus led to dividing the universe into fifteen strata in all.

Comparability — Congo Democratic Republic [top]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo 2010 and 2017 samples contain three groupings for every province, except Kinshasa. The first group is statutory cities, the second is communes, and the third is sectors and chiefdoms. The first two categories are identified as urban, and the third category is identified as rural. The province of Kinshasa is considered entirely urban.

Comparability — Costa Rica [top]

For the 2011 and 2018 samples, urban areas are delimited according to physical and functional criteria, taking into account tangible elements such as clearly defined blocks, streets, sidewalks, urban services and economic activities. Rural areas are characterized by the dispersion of houses and dwellings and extensive use of agricultural land.

Comparability — Cote D'Ivoire [top]

In the Côte d'Ivoire 2006 sample, three areas were identified, urban, peri-urban, and rural. Areas identified as urban were defined as agglomerations of more than 10,000 inhabitants as well as those with 4,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, as long as most heads of households were engaged in a non-agricultural activity. All other areas were considered rural. Peri-urban is a unique definition applied exclusively to areas surrounding Abidjan and San Pedro. Peri-urban was only applied to the household unit of analysis; in other units of analysis, persons were categorized as urban.

In the 2016 sample, the same definition of urban and rural was used, but no peri-urban category was identified.

Comparability — Cuba [top]

In all Cuba samples, an area was defined as urban if it was a provincial or national capital, it had a population greater than 2000, and met all of the following criteria: (1) planned street layout and organization of buildings; (2) presence of public spaces (parks, squares, pedestrian walkways, etc.); (3) public lighting serving roads and public spaces; (4) an aqueduct serving private dwellings; (5) waste disposal systems in the form of sewers or septic pits; (6) medical facilities (hospitals, polyclinics, primary care clinics, etc.); (7) educational facilities; (8) gastronomic and commercial services; and (9) public telephone, postal, radio, and television services.

All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Djibouti [top]

In the Djibouti sample, the city of Djibouti is considered entirely urban, while all other districts have both urban and rural areas. The distinction between urban and rural populations is unclear.

Comparability — Dominican Republic [top]

The 2014 and 2019 Dominican Republic samples relied on classifications outlined in the 2010 census. The 2010 census does not provide a definition of rural and urban, but according to the UN Demographic Yearbook for those years, urban is defined as administrative centers of municipalities and municipal districts. Municipal districts sometimes include suburban zones of a rural character.

Comparability — El Salvador [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2014 MICS El Salvador survey. Previous censuses define an urban area as all municipal capitals where the civil, religious, and military authorities are located, as well as areas with the following characteristics: a minimum of 500 contiguous dwellings, public lighting service, a primary school, regular transportation service, paved or cobbled streets, and public telephone service. The rest of the municipalities, made up of small towns and settlements, are considered rural.

Comparability — Eswatini (Swaziland) [top]

The 2010 and 2014 Eswatini surveys used areas outlined in the 2007 census. The 2021 sample was based on the 2017 Eswatini Census. In Eswatini, urban areas are defined by the Department of Urban Government, which outlines all urban local governments including controlled areas. Currently, there are 12 gazetted urban local authorities and 4 declared controlled areas. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Fiji [top]

Residents inhabiting any of the towns and cities are considered urban, including peri-urban places.

Comparability — Gambia [top]

In Gambia, according to the 2003 and 2013 Population and Housing Censuses, a settlement is considered urban if it satisfies most of the following criteria: has commercial importance, has institutional importance, majority of the population is in non-agricultural occupation, population exceeds 5,000 and is characterized by high density, and some degree of infrastructure is available.

Comparability — Georgia [top]

For the 2005 and 2018 Georgia samples, an area is considered urban if infrastructure is present for industrial, tourism, medical, or socio-cultural purposes, the majority of residents are engaged in non-agricultural activity, and the number of registered residents is greater than 5000.

Comparability — Ghana [top]

In Ghana, urban areas are localities with 5,000 or greater population.

Comparability — Guinea [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2016 MICS Guinea survey. Previous censuses define urban areas administratively. Administrative centers of prefectures are considered urban; the rest of the territory is classified as rural. In 2014, the industrial cities of Kamsar and Sangarédi, although not administrative centers of prefectures, are also considered urban.

Comparability — Guinea Bissau [top]

In all Guinea-Bissau samples, urban areas are defined by law, as localities were classified by local authorities. Urban localities consisted mainly of cities and towns divided into neighborhoods, as opposed to rural localities, which consisted of "tabancas".

Comparability — Guyana [top]

In Guyana, only Regions 2, 4, 6, and 10, which correspond to Pomeroon-Supenaam, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, and Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice respectively, contained urban areas. Urban areas were administratively defined at the township level, and include the national capital of Georgetown and its suburbs, Anna Regina, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton, and Linden. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Honduras [top]

In the 2019 Honduras sample, urban areas were defined as areas with either a population of 2,000 or more residents, or areas with 1,500 to 1,999 residents possessing at least one of the following: "urbanization", an instruction center, a health center, or at least 10% sewer availability.

Comparability — Indonesia [top]

The criteria for defining rural status were not defined in the 2011 MICS Indonesia survey. In previous censuses, an urban/rural rubric system was used by the Statistics Bureau of Indonesia to define urban and rural areas. These distinctions were made at the village level, which is the smallest geographic unit within Indonesia.

Starting in the 1980’s, urban characteristics were given a score to quantify the urbanization level of each village. The three factors that contributed to an area’s urbanization score were its population density, percent of households employed in agricultural sectors, and number of urban facilities defined in an official list. If a village achieved a high enough score, it was deemed urban, while all other areas were considered rural.

In the 2000’s, conditions were altered to prioritize access to urban facilities over simply their presence, the existence of lighted roads, banks, public phones, and supermarkets, and the percentage of built area not allocated to housing.

Comparability — Iraq [top]

In all Iraq samples, urban status is administratively determined. Urban areas are located inside the boundaries of municipality councils (Al-Majlis Al-Baldei) or within the boundaries of the City of Baghdad. Other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Jamaica [top]

In the 2005, 2011, and 2022 Jamaica samples, the entirety of the Kingston Metropolitan Area is considered urban. This area includes all of Kingston parish, the surrounding urban portions of St. Andrew parish, and the urban areas of Portmore and Spanish Town from St. Catherine parish. For all other parishes, an area was classified as urban if it had a population of 2,000 or more and provided a number of amenities that in Jamaica indicate modern living. In addition, land use must include the existence of commercial, industrial and residential areas. All other areas were considered rural.

Comparability — Kazakhstan [top]

In Kazakhstan, urban and rural status is determined by law. Urban areas include cities of Republican, Oblast, and Raion status (explained below) along with settlements located under their administrative jurisdiction. Cities of Republican status are defined as population centers of special national importance or with a population of more than one million. Cities of Oblast status are defined as population centers that are major economic and cultural centers with developed industrial and social infrastructure and a population of more than 50,000. As of the 2009 census, Kazakhstan had 2 Republican-status cities, 40 Oblast-status cities, 45 Raion-status towns, and 35 urban villages. Rural areas include all other centers regardless of their administrative jurisdiction.

Comparability — Kenya [top]

Kenya defines urban population as city councils, municipal councils, towns and urban councils, district headquarters, and trading centers with a minimum population of 2000, and potential for future growth as urban areas.

In the 2009 sample, the additional category of slum/informal settlement in included along with rural and urban. These informal settlements are urban in character, but are outside the official zoning plans of nearby cities.

Comparability — Kiribati [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2018 MICS Kiribati survey. According to the 2005 census, only South Tarawa Island was considered urban. All other islands were considered rural.

Comparability — Kosovo [top]

Urban and rural status was determined by law at the Settlement level by administrative decisions of municipalities. As of 2019, eight municipalities are entirely rural, while all others include both urban and rural settlements.

Comparability — Kyrgyzstan [top]

In all Kyrgyzstan samples, urban status is administratively determined and officially designated as such at the "Kenesh" level. It consists of towns and settlements of urban type, usually according to criteria such as number of inhabitants, predominance of agricultural activity, or number of non-agricultural workers and families.

Comparability — Laos [top]

In all Laos samples, urban status was determined at the village/district level. A village or district is classified as urban if it meets at least three of the following five criteria established during census taking: (1) it is a district or provincial capital; (2) more than 70% of the households use electricity; (3) more than 70% of the households use piped water; (4) there is a permanent marketplace; (5) it connects to an access road which can be used by a sedan car during both wet and dry seasons. All other areas are classified as rural.

Comparability — Lebanon [top]

The 2005 Lebanon sample used cluster locations and definitions from the 1999 census of Palestinian camps and gatherings. It is not known what definition was used in the census.

In the 2011 sample, all camps and gatherings located in Beirut governorate were considered urban, while all other governorates included both urban and rural classifications. The distinction between urban and rural is unclear.

Comparability — Lesotho [top]

The 2018 Lesotho sample relied on definitions from the 2016 census. An Enumeration Area (EA) in the rural areas has a well-defined boundary and may be a village or a group of villages. In the urban areas, an EA will comprise of well-defined block of dwelling units as well as well-defined boundaries. Users should be aware that any areas identified as "peri-urban" were treated as rural in MICS documentation for other units of analysis to allow for comparability with the previous MICS, DHS and other surveys where similar classification was applied.

Comparability — Madagascar [top]

Madagascar administratively classifies urban and rural areas at the commune level. A commune is generally considered urban if it has facilities for healthcare, education, and administrative business. Users should be aware that communes could change urban and rural status between samples, as new classification lists are produced. According to the current classification system, established in 2015, 76 communes were identified as urban, and 1,617 communes were identified as rural.

Comparability — Malawi [top]

Malawi defines urban areas as all townships, town planning areas, and all district capitals.

Comparability — Mali [top]

Both the 2009 and 2015 Mali samples rely on definitions outlined in the 2009 census. This census defined urban areas by law, in which localities were classified by local authorities. In 2009, urban areas, or "urban communes," consisted mainly of neighborhoods as opposed to rural communes, which consisted of villages and or fractions.

Comparability — Mauritania [top]

Mauritania defines urban areas as all cities or towns with population greater than 5,000.

Comparability — Mexico [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2015 MICS Mexico survey. Previous censuses defined urban places consistently across Mexican samples as localities with 2,500 or more persons.

Comparability — Moldova [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2012 MICS Moldova survey. According to UN DESA, urban areas are cities and urban-type localities,
officially designated as such, usually according to criteria based on the number of inhabitants and the predominance of non-agricultural workers and their families.

Comparability — Mongolia [top]

In Mongolia, according to Article 3.1 of the Law on the Legal Status of Cities and Villages of Mongolia, a city is a “centralized settlement with at least 15,000 inhabitants, most of whom work mainly in industry and services, with developed urban infrastructure, and self-governance”. According to the law, a village is "a self-governing settlement with a population of 500-15,000, developed in one of the sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism, recreation, health, transportation, and trade." The population of cities and settlements includes the population of the capital city, aimag centers and villages.

Comparability — Montenegro [top]

In Montenegro, urban and rural status is determined by law at the Settlement level by administrative decisions of municipalities. As of the 2011 census, 57 settlements are considered urban, and the rest are considered rural.

Comparability — Mozambique [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2008 MICS Mozambique survey.

Comparability — Nepal [top]

In all Nepal samples, urban areas are localities with at least 20,000 inhabitants if located in the terai (flatland) area, or at least 10,000 inhabitants if located in the hill and mountain areas, plus an annual revenue of 10 million Nepalese Rupee. Additional sets of complex rules are applied to identify urban localities, which vary according to ecological zones and are based on annual revenue, population, and infrastructure. As of the 2011 census, 58 municipalities were considered urban.

Comparability — Nigeria [top]

In all Nigeria samples, enumeration areas outlined in the 2006 census were used to define geography. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, urban areas are defined as all state capitals, and settlements with populations exceeding 20,000. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Pakistan [top]

Pakistan defines urban areas administratively. The entirety of the districts of Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad are considered large cities and categorized as urban. Additional urban areas are places with a municipal corporation, town committee or cantonment. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Palestine [top]

In all Palestine samples, localities with population higher than 10,000 persons, as well as all governorates/district centers (regardless of their size) are considered urban. Localities with populations ranging from 4,000 to 9,999 persons are also considered urban if they have at least four of the following five features: electricity access, water access, post office, health center (with a full-time physician), and school (secondary education).
According to definitions from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), as of 2019 there were 31 refugee camps located within Palestine. Eight official camps are located within the Gaza Strip, and 19 official along with four unofficial camps are located within the West Bank.

Comparability — Panama [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2013 MICS Panama Survey. Previous censuses defined urban places as localities with greater than 1,500 residents and the following features: an urban fabric structured in streets and blocks, internal transportation, access to secondary schools and other services typical of an urban area. This definition is included in the 1980 census documentation. No definition has been provided for the other samples, but it is likely that urban status is defined by similar criteria. This definition is also cited in the 2009-2010 UN Demographic Yearbook.

Comparability — Paraguay [top]

In Paraguay, urban places are administratively determined at the locality level. In 2016, the seat or capital (cabecera) of every official district was considered urban. Every locality in the districts of Asunción, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, and San Lorenzo were considered urban. The districts of Pozo Colorado and Doctor Pedro P. Peña and the departments of Chaco and Nueva Asunción did not contain any urban areas. All areas not officially defined as urban are considered rural.

Comparability — Qatar [top]

The 2012 Qatar sample relied on definitions from the 2010 census, in which the national capital Doha, all municipal capitals, and all zone capitals are considered urban. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Saint Lucia [top]

Urban and rural status in Saint Lucia was determined at the Enumeration District (ED) level. These enumeration areas correspond to areas identified by the Central Statistics Office of Saint Lucia for the 2010 census. Urban ED's were located in district capitals or their surrounding suburbs. All other areas were rural ED's.

Comparability — Samoa [top]

The 2019 Samoa sample classifies all areas of Apia Urban Area as completely urban, and all areas of Northwest Upolu, Rest of Upolu, and Savaii as completely rural.

Comparability — Sao Tome and Principe [top]

Both the 2014 and 2019 São Tomé and Príncipe relied on definitions outlined in the 2012 census. Urban areas were defined as areas with concentration of commercial, service and management activities, industrial and residential sectors, distinct in terms of form and social content, leisure areas, and marked for future expansion. These areas included district and regional capitals, all towns, and the entirety of Água Grande district. All other areas were classified as rural.

Comparability — Serbia [top]

Official statistics in Serbia do not include a specific definition for rural settlements. Instead, an 'administrative-legal' criteria is applied that designates settlements as either
'urban' or 'other'. Urban settlements are recognized as such by an act of the local self-government, with all other settlements falling into the category of 'other'. In URBAN, all settlements in the 'other' category are included in rural.

Comparability — Sierra Leone [top]

The 2005 and 2010 Sierra Leone samples were based on enumeration areas outlined in the 2004 census. This sampling frame classified urban areas as areas with 2,000 or more population.

The 2017 sample was based on enumeration areas outlined in the 2015 census, where the threshold was increased to 3,000 or more population. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Somalia [top]

All Somalia samples, including those for the Northwest Zone/Somaliland and the Northeast Zone/Puntland, are based on enumeration areas outlined in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Settlement Census of 2005/2006. This census outlines urban areas as all administrative district and regional capitals and rural areas as settlements listed in the UNDP master list which were not administrative centers.

The 2006 and 2011 - Northwest/Somaliland surveys also include a third "nomadic" category, which includes persons interviewed at water points used by nomadic populations during the dry season. The baseline used for this exercise goes back to the lists of water points prepared by UNDP in 2005 and 2006 in preparation for a settlement census, and an updated list of water points prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization/Somalia Water and Land Information Management (FAO SWALIM). The final updated list was then taken as the sampling frame for the nomadic population. In order to avoid double counting settled agro-pastoralists at the water points, the survey team verified that all water points on the list were used by at least some pure nomadic households. The lists of water points were also reviewed and validated to eliminate non-functional water points.

Nomadic is only considered for the Household unit of analysis; individuals on other units of analysis are grouped with rural.

Comparability — South Sudan [top]

In the 2010 MICS South Sudan survey, two urban and rural strata from each state were sampled. The criteria for determining rural status were not defined, however. Previous censuses defined an urban area as localities of administrative and/or commercial importance or with population of 5,000 or more inhabitants.

Comparability — Sudan [top]

Both the 2010 and 2014 Sudan surveys relied on definitions outlined in the 2008 census. This census defines an urban area as localities of administrative and/or commercial importance or with population of 5,000 or more inhabitants. Nomadic populations are included in rural.

Comparability — Suriname [top]

In all Suriname MICS samples, urban areas were confined to the coastal areas. The urban stratum consists of all of Paramaribo and Wanica districts, northwest Nickerie district, and Meerzorg and Tamnredjo from Commewijne district. The rural stratum consists of the remainders of Nickerie and Commewijne, and all of Coronie, Saramacca, Para, and Marowijne districts in the coastal areas, and all of Brokopondo and Sipaliwini districts in the interior areas.

Comparability — Syria [top]

The criteria for determining rural status were not defined in the 2006 MICS Syria survey.

Comparability — Tajikistan [top]

In the 2005 MICS Tajikistan survey, urban and rural areas in each of the five regions were defined as the sampling domains. In each region, the clusters (primary sampling units) were distributed to urban and rural domains proportional to the size of urban and rural populations in that region. No clear definition of urban or rural population was described.

Comparability — Thailand [top]

For all Thailand samples, an urban place is defined as a municipal area: an administrative and geographic area that meets certain population size and density criteria. There are three categories of municipal areas: city, town, and commune; they are classified on the basis of population size, and all are considered urban.

Comparability — Togo [top]

In Togo, the capitals of each prefecture and the national capital Lomé are considered urban, and all other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Tonga [top]

According to the 2019 MICS Tonga survey, Tongatapu contained the only urban enumeration areas (108), and even in Tongatapu, the majority of enumeration areas were considered rural (260). All enumeration areas in Vavau, Haapai, Eua, and Ongo Niua were considered rural.

Comparability — Trinidad and Tobago [top]

URBAN is only available for the 2011 Trinidad and Tobago sample. In Trinidad and Tobago, areas were classified as urban or rural at the ward level, based mainly on population density per square kilometer. Areas where the population density was 200 or more persons per square kilometer were classified as urban, while areas with density less than 200 persons per square kilometer were classified as rural.

Comparability — Tunisia [top]

In Tunisia, urban status is assigned by law at the commune level. It is by simple administrative decision that an agglomeration can acquire the status of a commune. As of the 2014 census, there were 264 total communes in Tunisia.

The 2011 survey used enumeration district data from the 2004 census, while the 2018 and 2023 samples used enumeration district data from the 2014 census. This indicates that there may be a discrepancy between areas classified as urban in the 2011 sample versus the 2018 and 2023 samples.

Comparability — Turkmenistan [top]

In Turkmenistan, urban areas are defined by law. According to the 2012 census, cities equivalent to a district must have a population of more than 30,000 and must be either a provincial capital or be one of the economic, cultural and administrative centers in its province. Cities "in a district" are subordinated to the district (etrap) government and, by law, they must have a population of more than 8,000, and must possess industrial enterprises, construction and transport organizations, utilities, municipally owned housing stock, socio-cultural institutions, trade and social services. Towns have a population of more than 2,000, and feature well-planned and landscaped territory, industrial enterprises, construction and transport organizations, railway stations, water works, hospitals and other inpatient facilities. All other areas are considered rural.

Comparability — Turks and Caicos [top]

The 2019 Turks and Caicos sample classifies all areas of Grand Turk and Providenciales as completely urban, and all areas of North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, and Salt Cay as completely rural.

Comparability — Ukraine [top]

According to the 2001 Ukraine census, the legislation defined urban localities as towns and urban-type settlements. Towns were defined as localities with a population exceeding 10,000 while urban-type settlements were those with a population exceeding 2,000 where the predominant individual employment was not in agriculture.

It is unknown if the 2005 sample follows the above definition, or used a different method of defining urban and rural strata.

The 2012 sample used the database of election units for the presidential election of 2010 as the sampling frame for the urban areas. The PSU size was determined by the number of voters in the election unit. The most recent (January 01, 2012) village council registration of households served as the sampling frame for the rural areas. The PSU size in rural areas was based on the number of households in village councils.

Comparability — Uruguay [top]

According to the 2012 MICS Uruguay survey, rural localities and those containing fewer than 5,000 inhabitants were combined. No other definition of rural or urban is provided. Previous censuses do not provide any definition of urban in their documentation either, but according to the U.N. Demographic Yearbook 2005, the definition of urban areas in Uruguay is cities. In addition, according to Act No 10.723 on Population Centers, suburban areas are included in the category of urban areas.

Comparability — Uzbekistan [top]

Urban and rural areas in each of the six regions (except Tashkent city which does not include any rural area) were defined as the sampling domains. In each region, the mahalla (primary sampling units) were distributed to urban and rural domains, proportional to the size of urban and rural populations and estimated response rate for eligible women and children. A mahalla is part of a district/city/town as an area that is characterized by self-governance at the neighborhood community level.

Comparability — Vanuatu [top]

According to the 2007 MICS Vanuatu survey, the cities Port Vila (Shefa Province) and Luganville (Sanma Province) comprise the urban strata, while all localities in all other provinces are considered entirely rural.

Comparability — Vietnam [top]

Vietnam samples follow the census definition of urban which includes urban districts of cities, urban quarters, and towns. All other local administrative units (communes) are rural.

Comparability — Yemen [top]

The 2006 Yemen sample relied on definitions from the 2004 census, which distinguished between urban and rural Enumeration Areas. The 2022 Yemen sample also relied on a 2014 update of the 2004 census. Urban EA's were identified as having high population densities, located within cities, neighborhoods, or blocks with at least 130 households. All other areas were considered rural.