Nomenclator vs census tracts when studying population spatial distribution in small municipalities

Abstract

The study of the spatial distribution of population within rural municipalities faces important difficulties, due to the small volumes of population that many of them present, leaving, at practical purposes, the Padron Municipal de Habitantes as the only statistical source to carry out this type of research. Taking into account the territorial aspect, these difficulties are evident when using census tracts, because when the population number is low, the entire municipal area is embedded in a single one, thus making impossible to know how it is distributed inside the municipality. However, the employment of the Nomenclator de Entidades y Núcleos de Población allows us to avoid this, so it is more convenient. Moreover, since the Nomenclator contains the same number of variables as the Padron, it is also possible not only to inquire about how the population is distributed within the municipalities, but also to divide it into groups using some relevant variable, and describe their intra-municipal spatial distribution. These tasks cannot be carried out using census tracts when only one is delimitated inside the municipality. Moreover, under some circunstances, the interpretation of reality is distorted by the layout of their boundaries. Based on examples of rural municipalities in the province of Malaga, in this paper we show some of the main advantages that the Nomenclator has over the census tract. To fullfill this objective, we have used both the total population volume, and its distribution among those born in Spain and born abroad, referred to 2018, and the census tracts and Nomenclator cartography, also referred to 2018.