The scope of the 1996 Population Census includes:
- basic demographic characteristics of individuals in a particular household dwelling, including age, sex, ethnicity, religion, internal migration, educational attainment, economic activity and fertility;
- basic household caharacteristics of the private dwellings, including tenure, sanitation, water and electricity, household wealth and household activities;
- a special module on disability.
The objectives of Census changed over time shifting from earlier years where they were essentially household registrations and counts, to now where a national population census stands supreme as the most valuable single source of statistical data for the Fiji Islands.
Census data is now widely used to evaluate:
- The availability of basic household needs in key sectors, to identify disadvantaged areas and help set priorities for action plans;
- Benefits of development programmes in particular areas, such as literacy, employment and family planning;