Planning Authority launches Census 2020

The Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) launched the General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments 2020 which seeks to provide a comprehensive database through the extensive use of administrative records in statistical operations.
At the launch event, HE President of Planning and Statistics Authority Dr Saleh Mohamed Salem al-Nabit said the importance of the census stems from the fact that it is the only statistical process that is conducted through an all-inclusive survey.
It is an integrated image of the community at a specified moment.
The census data represents a key base for population, housing and establishments statistics that concern planners, researchers and decision makers.
He added that the main aim of the census is to create a high quality central register of population, housing and establishments data, with more comprehensive coverage and connected to a system for the continuous and simultaneous updating of this data.
HE al-Nabit said the importance of the Census 2020 comes from is its support to the development plans which serve as a basis for all planning levels related to population, housing and establishments.
It also assesses the availability of basic services for families, to identify areas in need of such services and to prioritise plans.
In addition, it is considered to be the main source of information related to the size of labour force and its characteristics, he added.
HE al-Nabit said Census 2020 will represent a qualitative leap in the methodology of censuses.
It will be implemented mainly through the extensive use of administrative records from the country’s data source.
The methodology of the work depends on the implementation of a comprehensive electronic link with a number of source agencies related to population and linking them to data from field work.
Head of the Department of Censuses, Surveys and Statistical Methods at the authority Nasser al-Mahdi said the census is the first of its kind to be conducted through administrative records of the country’s data source.
He added that the census will be carried out in the time frame set; 17 March 2020.
Al-Mahdi said census data are important in various developmental fields such as the distribution of services (schools, hospitals, police departments...) according to the population numbers and characteristics, the identification of electoral districts.
It is also important for the study of population structure of the society, estimating sources of labour force and numbers of workers and the promotion of the role of women, their socioeconomic status and other uses that are difficult to enumerate.
Al-Mahdi said Census 2020 will depend mainly on the latest technologies, systems and manuals adopted internationally, in order to obtain accurate and comprehensive results on the population and their characteristics as well as housing and establishments and extraction of important statistical indicators at different levels.
He added that the technology used in the census has a significant impact in the implementation of several tasks for the preparation of the risk study and anticipation of difficulties as well as the implementation of data collection, review, tabulation, processing and dissemination and follow-up field operations and other functions of the census.
Al-Mahdi explained that statistical evidence and classifications receive great attention from PSA as well as other statistical agencies in the world and international organisations as it enables the dissemination of statistical data in an international format that facilitates the process of statistical comparisons inside and outside the country.
He explained the stages of the census starting with the analysis of the current situation, which was carried out between January and November 2017, the preparation of the databases of buildings, residential units and facilities between September 2017 and February 2019, then the experimental census in the second quarter of this year, followed by the preparation of databases of households and individuals in the third quarter and then processing census data in March 2020, to prepare for its publication during the second quarter of 2020.
Al-Mahdi said PSA conducted an experimental census of the housing and active facilities and stopped the volume of growth in this sector over the past ten years, noting that these data will be confirmed and adopted during the next phase of the census.
Head of the Statistical Analysis Office at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Ibrahim Saad al-Sulaiti, member of the statistical consultancy committee highlighted the importance of censuses in relation to the services provided by the Ministry and the various bodies in the country.
He added that the ministry has placed the issue of statistics among its priorities and has been able to develop a system that contributes to the flow of information and statistics from various departments due to its importance in determining progress on various levels of service and security and address all deficiencies, if any.
The General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments is the only statistical exercise conducted comprehensively, once every five or ten years, and Qatar implemented a number of them in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015.