The booklet presents a report on the operation and use of person numbering (PN) systems for vital and health statistics in Israel and Scandinavia. A PN system involves assigning a different number to each individual within a given society and using that number for commercial, governmental, and military identification. The purpose of the report is to provide information about PN systems to people involved in the public policy debate over whether such a system should be adopted in the United States. The document is presented in eight chapters. Chapter I explains how to develop a PN system and relates that Israel and the Scandinavian nations were selected as case studies because they are forerunners in developing and applying PN systems in national statistical programs. Chapters II through V focus on the PN systems of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Israel, respectively. Topics include organizing and operating the systems, problems peculiar to each country, administrative and statistical uses of the PN system, future use plans, and plans for additional studies and research. Chapter VI reviews advantages and limitations of PN systems. Advantages include that PN systems are technically easy to use and store and that they increase data available for statistics, planning, and research. Disadvantages include that the digits become reversed fairly frequently, number files are not always transferred when a person moves, and integration with other systems is difficult. Chapter VII focuses on issues of confidentiality and privacy. The final chapter presents an overview of PN systems in 16 nations, including the Netherlands, Peru, Australia, and Japan. (DB)