A UN-Requested Review Flags Limits in Ecuador’s Census Data

An international consultancy requested by Ecuador’s National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reviewed parts of the country’s 2022 census processing.

What the review found

The review says validation and imputation made slight adjustments to housing and household variables and tended to improve housing-quality indicators. It also identified reductions in precarious conditions and improvements in access to basic services, construction materials, and sanitation.

The coverage issue is more consequential. The imputation of VOPA was between 4.7% and 5%, meaning 759,103 people were not counted. When incomplete forms and records corrected during processing are included, the figure rises to 10%.

The review says that the result exceeds methodological thresholds recommended by the United Nations. It also warns that assigning values to records can distort census results.

Why it matters

The review does not create a replacement population count. It does, however, give residents and organizations a reason to be careful with precise conclusions drawn from the census, especially when comparing households, housing conditions, or service access across locations.

For expats, the practical takeaway is to treat census-based numbers as a useful foundation with stated processing limits. When a decision depends on a narrow population estimate, check whether the underlying figure reflects direct responses, imputed values, incomplete forms, or corrected records.