Household

The microcensus is an official statistical survey which is carried out annually since 1957 using a representative sample of one percent of the German population and households. In total, about 370,000 households with 810,000 household members participate in the survey. Being designed as a multiple-subject survey, the microcensus provides important statistical information on the population structure, on the economic and social situation of the population, families and households, on the employment market, on the occupational outline and the training of the workforce and on living conditions.

There is an obligation to provide information for the majority of questions.

Given its broad range of variables and its large sample size, the microcensus forms an appropriate data base to analyse small subpopulations, such as single migrant or occupational groups. Detailed regional analyses, for example with regard to life chances of different social groups, increasingly gain significance in scientific research. Results of regional analyses can, for example, be displayed on the level of regional adjustment shifts - regional units of 500,000 inhabitants on average. Furthermore and in addition to cross-sectional analyses, the high continuity of the survey design allows for analyses over time (trend analyses), by which historical developments can be revealed. Being designed as a rotating panel, some survey years of the microcensus can also be used for panel analyses. The microcensus is also suitable for comparisons in an international context as various subjects are adapted to international standards (e.g. the labour force concept).

Characterized by its large sampling size, its variety of subjects and temporal continuity, the microcensus constitutes an important data source for the social sciences.

Available microdata

The following survey years of this statistic can be used via the different ways of access. Please note that at the safe centre, the municipality code for cities in the state Bavaria is only available as a pseudonymised code.

Please note that only survey years with English metadata are listed below. Please check the German language page for all available data.