RIYADH: Saudi Arabia launched its fourth national population and housing census here on Tuesday in a ceremony attended not only by top Saudi officials, but also officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The census is to be conducted by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI), an affiliate of the Ministry of Economy and Planning. Around 40,000 trained personnel are to be employed to travel across the Kingdom to interview both Saudis and expatriates and collate data.
Minister of Economy and Planning Khaled Al-Gosaibi urged all citizens and expatriates to support the census, titled “National Census for Population and Housing.” “The census, which will be an expensive experiment, is important because it reflects what we believe is important to measure, count and record about ourselves and our way of life,” said Al-Gosaibi, adding that preparations for the census are complete.
This is the first time that the Kingdom will join other GCC member states in carrying out a unified census. The plan to conduct a unified census in 2010 was decided at the 22nd GCC Supreme Council meeting in Oman.
Around 100 top officials, including representatives from the GCC, the Arab League and several government departments attended the launch.
Al-Gosaibi, who toured an arts exhibition on census and development at the CDSI, also inaugurated a state-of-the-art media and information center.
Data collectors in Saudi Arabia will carry official CDSI identity cards and begin collating information on Feb. 13 and interviewing citizens and expatriates on April 28, said Mohanna Al-Mohanna, general director of the Census Bureau of Saudi Arabia and supervisor of the 2010 census program.
The census, he said, is designed to collect, compile and disseminate demographic, social and economic information about the Kingdom’s population. Al-Mohanna also called on citizens and expatriates to give accurate factual information when responding to questions.
He pointed out that data collection would continue until May 12 and that a number of translators have been trained to collate accurate information from expatriates.
He added that there is no need for overstayers to worry, as the data collectors will only collect information.
The questionnaire that will be used in the GCC states contains 59 questions.
Al-Mohanna said there is a need to educate people on the importance of the census, the results of which, he said, would form the bedrock for planners and decision-makers.
He said that it would take only 15 minutes to fill the census form that contains questions that generally cover gender, nationality, family status, age, education, marital status, place of birth etc. Al-Mohanna said information given by foreign workers in the Kingdom is equally important.
The Kingdom’s population is currently estimated to exceed 25 million. Saudi Arabia conducted its first official census in 1974.
In the last (third) census organized in 2004, the Kingdom’s population stood at 22,673,538, comprising 16,529,302 Saudi nationals (72.9 percent of total) and 6,144,236 foreign residents (27.1 percent).
On the regional level, the combined population of the GCC is expected to exceed 36 million. Saudi Arabia is by far the largest and most populous GCC nation, accounting for nearly 60 to 65 percent of the region’s total population.
