Cairo: More than 4 million Saudi citizens and expats have participated in self-enumeration as part of an ongoing census, the kingdom’s statistics agency has disclosed.
The 2022 census was launched across Saudi Arabia on May 10.
“The self-enumeration system will be halted by the end of Wednesday and participation in the census will shift to house visits by field researchers to families,” spokesman for the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GaSat) Mohammed Al Dukhainy said.
The official urged Saudis and foreign residents to make use of the self-enumeration option and fill in their data via smartphones or computers before the deadline expires.
“Participation in the census is obligatory,” he said.
Hailing response to engagement in the census, he said that no fine has been imposed so far for non-participation in the effort.
“Participation in the census through self-enumeration replaces a house visit by field researcher.”
Self-enumeration is accessible via a census link on the GaSat portal.
Saudi law gives the statistics agency authority to impose fines on people who deliberately block census works, refrain from providing the required data, or furnish incorrect data.
However, the implementation mechanism restricts these fines, which are slapped within limitations, according to the official.
“The field researcher cannot impose any fine on a person directly. This happens through the local supervisor who talks directly to the resident and gives him/her more than a chance for participation and warns them against facing a fine,” Al Dukhainy said in earlier remarks.
The current census is the fifth in the history of Saudi Arabia. It aims to cover all people inside the kingdom to collect statistical data that help chart policies and future plans and tailor projects to people’s needs across the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia, a country of around 34.8 million people, has a large community of migrant workers.
