The census taken in this country last April will still be fresh in everybody's minds, so that the present time seems very suitable for a discussion on census-taking. The subject is of particular interest, as considerable developments have taken place throughout the world in the 16 years since the war ended, and more developments are likely in the years to come. In these notes, therefore, I have tried to set the British census against the background of census-taking as it is practised in the rest of the world at the present time.