Concepts

Gross reproduction rate (BRR)
The gross reproduction rate (BRR) shows how many live-born girls 1,000 women wil give birth to during the reproductive age. These are from 15 to 49 years. If the 1,000 women give birth in accordance with experience in the period of calculations, and no woman dies before the age of 50.

Parents
In the public registers, information on a person’s legal parents is stored. This information is deficient in relation to new-born, because unmarried fathers must first acknowledge paternity. The same applies to persons born before 1960. In the vital statistics on births we use information on biological parents.

Place of birth
Most tables cross tabulates the population by birthplace. There are two categories: ‘Born in Greenland’ and ‘Born outside Greenland’. For a small number of persons the place of birth is unknown. In many tables we assume those to be born outside Greenland.

** Place of birth (extended) **
Tables now also hold information on extended place of birth. The method follows that used by Statistics Norway (Norway, ssb.no) to calculate immigrants and descendants. Basically, a set of basic codes ‘kxyz’ is calculated, which are then grouped:

k: code
x: 0 for born in Greenland, 1 born outside Greenland
y: 0-2 number of parents born outside Greenland
z: 0-4 number of grandparents born outside Greenland

so that ‘k000’ tells that the person was born in Greenland of two Greenlandic-born parents with a total of 4 Greenlandic-born grandparents.

General fertility rate
Number of live born per 1,000 women in the ages 15-49 years.

Geographic divisions
January 1st 2018 Qaasuitsup Kommunia was split into 2 municipalities. Given the continued need for statistics on the municipality division prior to 2009, we use the term ‘districts’ for these areas. Population statistics are also presented even more detailed, namely on inhabited localities.Previously we also calculated the group: ‘outside of the municipal division’ to which we ascribed civilians in the defense areas, defined by a Danish-American treaty in 1951, and weather stations. Kangerlussuaq were subjected Sisimiut municipality in 2001.Although the municipal amalgamation was implemented 2 years ago, there remain several challenges for the Population Statistics - especially back in time.

Tables in our Statbank (https://bank.stat.gl ) show the existing territorial division - also back in time. Hence Kangerlussuaq has been compiled as part of Qeqqata Municipality of Sisimiut district from 1977 onwards.

By August 1st 2010, there is still some uncertainty on historic localities. Population statistics include therefore the term ‘other locations’.

Asiaqs register is updated regularly, but the information must be used by the municipals before the Population Statistic Register can use them.

Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the measure that tells the average remaining lifespan for an individual in a given age group. It is assumed that mortality at each age will correspond to the mortality in the period for which the calculations are made.

Mean population
Mean population is calculated as a simple average of two successive years.

Netreproduction rate (NRR)
The expected number of live born girls, born during their mother’s reproductive period from a generation of 1,000 women who give birth and die in accordance with experience gained during the basis period for the calculations.

Total fertility rate (TFR)
Total fertility rate (TFR) is a measure that tells how many children an ‘artificial’ generation of 1,000 women will give birth to, through their childbearing ages (15-49 years), provided that none of these women die before the age of 50 and provided, that women bear children in accordance with the experience during the timeframe for the calculations.

Infant mortality
Number of death in the first year of life per 1,000 live born.

Standardized rates
When comparing two populations different age-distributions may cause misleading results. This effect can be eliminated by choosing the same age distribution for the two populations. To reduce the influence of random variations on calendar calculations we often use a 5-year period as a whole.