Census 2020 to play key role in Kingdom’s reforms
Minister of Economy and Planning Dr. Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri has announced that “Census 2020” will take place on March 17, 2020. The upcoming fifth Saudi Arabian census is going to be a unique opportunity to gather metric-driven data that will better inform all stakeholders of the direction of the Kingdom’s socioeconomic reforms under Vision 2030. It is a national event.
Census 2020 intends to capture the demographic landscape with improved methods and means that go deep into the Kingdom’s core. This means that the census will provide a dataset to be used as a reliable basis for conducting the studies and research required by the country’s development programs and plans.
The census will also provide statistical data and indicators to measure changes in population characteristics, and to conduct local, regional and international comparisons. Saudi Arabia has conducted five previous censuses — in 1962, 1974, 1992, 2004, and
2010 — but the first is usually no longer used as it did not cover the whole resident population. According to the General Authority for Statistics (GaStat), the estimated total population of Saudi Arabia in 2018 was 33.41 million, including 9 million foreigners.
Naturally, all Saudi public and private sectors are to cooperate and collaborate in this census. There will be a comprehensive information infrastructure to cover all national development resolutions, which will be reflected in the services provided to citizens and residents.
Census 2020 will be Saudi Arabia’s first registered census that depends on administrative records, such as resident ID, and establishments’ records collected form the data of the Ministry of Commerce and Investment and other government entities. This type of model is based on the system used by the US Census Bureau.
This census will be linked with the national address, and electronically connected to many government-related entities. In other words, Census 2020 will be an excellent opportunity to data mine results and make more specific policy recommendations.
It is significant that Al-Tuwaijri, who is also chairman of the board of directors of GaStat, is raising awareness of the importance of the census and the value and utility of the data. GaStat is raising its standards to new heights by adopting the latest technologies and making available public data that observers are able to access to conduct their own analyses.
Over time, GaStat will develop Census 2020 so that the data collection effort enhances already solid attempts to understand the Kingdom’s shifting demography and its impact on Saudi Arabia’s reform program.
Importantly for GaStat and other statisticians, the gathering of the data must suffer from as little error as possible. This is why Saudi statisticians are working with the US Census Bureau on adopting best practices.
Statistical comparisons will be important as Saudi Arabia transitions its economy. The necessity to have a clear understanding of the country’s demographic make-up helps programs, especially those at the regional level and in terms of housing under the Ministry of Housing’s Sakani program.
Overall, Census 2020 is going to provide a clear view into the ongoing landscape of the Kingdom’s demography and provide new avenues of requirements as the country continues its historic transition.