This survey, also known as ENAHO, was first implemented in 1995. From 1997-2002, data was collected on a quarterly basis. The 4th quarter of the survey was executed under the Program for the Improvement of Surveys and the Measurement of Living Conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean (MECOVI). Expenditure data was gathered to provide information on the living conditions and poverty status. Beginning in May 2003, the data collection became continuous and the sample of the 4th quarter of the 2002 survey was divided into 12 subsamples, each for a month of the year. From 1998, the survey included a panel component.

During the seccond quarter of 1997, the national urban population was surveyed on the topics of housing, employment, income, urban services and environment, transportation, sports, culture, and tourism. The sample, based on the 1993 Census, was 14,358 households.