Comment by kqr

This was a point Deming often emphasised: there is no true population count in a country. What we call "the population count" is really just whatever number falls out of the method we have chosen to perform the count.

For any counting exercise of middling complexity there are multiple methods to perform it that will generate different numbers. There's not one way to count even lecture attendees!

A count is always objective. It's fine to disagree with the method used, but one can't just say the number is wrong and not propose a better method.