Population and housing censuses have regularly been conducted in Malawi since the colonial era. However, the most comprehensive censuses have only been undertaken during the post-colonial period starting with the 1966 census and every ten years thereafter. Censuses have been conducted as part of the Integrated Household Survey programme. The four yearly Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), the five yearly Integrated Household Survey (IHS) and the annual Welfare Monitoring Survey (WMS) are part of this program.