A group of children

About MICS

Since the mid-1990s, more than 120 countries have carried out one or more Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, generating data on key indicators on the well-being of children, and helping shape policies for the improvement of their lives.

Background

Since its inception in the mid-1990s, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys programme, known as MICS, has become the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on children and women worldwide. In countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Thailand, Fiji, Qatar, Côte d’Ivoire, Turkmenistan and Argentina, trained fieldwork teams conduct face-to-face interviews with household members on a variety of topics – focusing mainly on those issues that directly affect the lives of children and women. MICS is an integral part of the plans and policies of many governments around the world, and a major data source for 40 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. The MICS programme continues to evolve with new methodologies and initiatives, including MICS Plus, MICS Link, MICS GIS and the MICS Tabulator.

@UNICEF/Credit

Introduction to Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys programme

about mics

Key milestones

An interactive timeline showing some of the key milestones and achievements of the MICS programme from the mid-1990s to date.