Topics included in the population schedule at the Census in Sri Lanka, 1871-2001

	Year
Topic	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1921	1931*	1946	1953	1963	1971	1981	2001
Demoraphic and personal characteristics
Name	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Relationship to head of household	x	x	x	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x
Sex	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Date of birth	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x
Age	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	-
Marital status	x	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Ethnic group of nationality	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Religion	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Citizenship	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x
Educational characteristics
Ability to speak Sinhala or Tamil	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	-	-	-
Ability to speak English	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	-	-	-
Literacy	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	-	-
Literacy in English	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	-	-	-
Literacy in Tamil, Sinhala, English	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x
Educational attainment	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	x	x	x	x
School attendance	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x
Economic characteristics
Type of activity	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x
Principal occupation	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	xs	x	x	x	x
Subsidiary occupation	-	-	-	x	x	x	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Industry	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x
Employment status	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x
Salary or wages (Income)	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	xs	-	-	-	-
Dependency (means of subsistence or earner on whom dependent)	-	-	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	-	-	-	-
Period for which unemployed	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	-	x	-	-
Whether sought work	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	-
Period of search for work	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	-
Reasons for not seeking work	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	-
Migration and residence information
Place of birth	x	-	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	xs	xs	x
Place of usual residence	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	xs	x
Duration of stay at usual residence	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	xs	x
Place of previous residence	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	xs	x
Length of residence in Sri Lanka	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	-	-	-	-
Nuptiality and fertility
Date of marriage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	xs	-	-	-	-
If previously married, date of first marriage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	xs	-	-	-	-
Age at first marriage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	-	-
Duration of first marriage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	-	-
If married more than once duration of subsequent marriage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	-	-
Age at birth of first child	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	xs	-	-	-	-
Number of children ever born	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	xs	-	xs	-	x
Number of children living	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	xs	-	x
Other topics
Infirmity	x	x	x	x	x	x	-	x	x	x	-	x	x
Orphanhood	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	x	-	-	-	-
Distance from usual residence to place of work or school	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	-
Principal mode of travel to place of work or school	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	x	-

Notes

x	denotes that the information was collected from all persons
xs	denotes that the information was collected from a smaple only
-	denotes that the information was not collected
*	details were obtained from all persons within the Colombo Municipility only