– Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center to roll out first phase of comprehensive population Census from November 1
– His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah: Building the future begins with an in-depth and accurate understanding of our reality
– H.H. Sheikh Saud: The success of this vital project requires a concerted effort, and the cooperation of all members of our society
– H.H. Sheikh Saud: The statistical data will enable authorities to formulate plans and policies that will enhance quality of life for everyone
– The population Census results will be made available to the public
Ras Al Khaimah, October 25, 2022: His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, asserted that: “Building the future begins with an in-depth and accurate understanding of our reality, where we use scientific method and aggregate precise field data to outline the community’s needs and requirements.”
H.H. Sheikh Saud’s comments were delivered via a video message today as Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center announced that the field operations for the General Population, Housing and Establishments Census Project will be conducted across the Emirate starting from November 1, 2022.
H.H. Sheikh Saud went on to note: “In recent years, we have been able to achieve tremendous progress and we have reaped the rewards of these successes in all facets of our lives. We seek to consolidate these achievements and build an even brighter future, one that surpasses the aspirations of the people of Ras Al Khaimah.
“We are confident that this project will contribute to achieving our comprehensive development objectives by providing statistical data to authorities across the Emirate, enabling each to formulate plans and policies that will enhance quality of life for everyone in the Emirate. The success of this vital project requires a concerted effort, and the cooperation of all members of our society, for the good of our Emirate.”
H.H. Sheikh Saud concluded by underlining the importance of accurate data in decision-making and policy formulation. “And with that in mind,” H.H. Sheikh Saud asserted, “we have issued directives to launch the General Population, Housing and Establishments Census Project 2023, as part of our ambitious Ras Al Khaimah Vision 2030 and implemented by Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center.”
His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Naqbi, Chairman of the High Census Committee and Chairman of Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center, highlighted the importance of leveraging up-to-date and accurate Census data to inform the allocation of finances, including housing, healthcare, education and public services, as well as for overall evidence-based development planning. “The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah has achieved remarkable growth in recent years, underpinned by a robust roadmap to sustain development to enhance the value-add to Ras Al Khaimah national and non-national residents, investors and visitors,” he said.
“We are thankful to the vision, guidance, and support of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi in undertaking this ground-breaking Census, which will help plan, collect and analyse vital data in support of policy formulation and decision making,” Dr. Al Naqbi added. “The Census will generate comprehensive data on population dynamics, gender, age structure, nationality and socio-economic characteristics for all national and non-national resident populations of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Data on household composition and size will provide solid grounds for forecasting future needs at the community level and for the Emirate’s general population, and then for developing new policies or updating existing ones, as needed.”
“The Census data will be a central pillar in achieving the goals of Vision 2030,” the Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center Chairman continued. “It is important to note that one of the major outcomes of the Census is the comprehensive statistical sampling framework to conduct in-depth sample surveys and specialized studies on economic, social and demographic issues.”
Field operations for the Census will be conducted in two phases to ensure that all geographical areas of the Emirate are covered and all residents are counted.
Phase one – Listing – will extend for the full month of November 2022. Teams of Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center fieldworkers will identify and list all residential, business, and real estate units across all geographic and administrative locations, conduct interviews with eligible household members and record data using predesigned and tested questionnaires.
The second phase – Enumeration – will take place from February 1 to 28, and will see fieldworkers return to the listed residential units identified in phase one to collect data on household members ranging from basic demographics and population dynamics to variable and social characteristics, such as educational enrolment and level, marital status, age at marriage, participation in the labor force, occupation, type of economic activity, and durable goods and assets of the household.
The Census has adopted a comprehensive and well-tested integrated modern technology to enable accuracy and make the results available within a remarkably short period of time.
The fieldwork will be conducted by a team of over 400 highly trained interviewers, who will observe stringent protocols and ensure the privacy of individuals and households. This will be facilitated through several months of in-house mapping utilizing the most up-to-date satellite imagery provided by Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, addressing geographical and administrative regions, districts and sub districts.
Fieldworker teams will be made up of Arabic speakers, supported by a team of translators, and will be using high-tech tablets to facilitate real-time transmission and synchronization of collected data.
Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center is also setting up state-of-the-art Control Rooms, a Call Center, and Field Support Centers to support field operations, along with a team of supervisors and quality control specialists to ensure continuity and smooth implementation.
Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center requests that the entire population of Ras Al Khaimah (both households and businesses) show full cooperation with all Census fieldworkers throughout the period, across all areas of the Emirate, and provide accurate information.
Once the population Census data is complete, Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center will present the results through proper channels to various government entities. The Census results will also be made available to the public, including private-sector companies planning to invest in Ras Al Khaimah.
In line with the Statistics Act, data collected at all levels – individual, household and business establishment – will be confidential and not revealed under any circumstances.
About Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center
RAK Statistics Center is a government organization that was created under Emiri Law No. (2) of 2016, aiming to promote statistical work in Ras Al Khaimah and to provide statistical data and information accurately, transparently and professionally in line with the best international standards and to strive to achieve the objectives and implement the competencies provided for in the law in creation thereof.
The law for the creation of the center provides that it is the sole source of official statistics on the Emirate’s level and the authorized entity to organize statistical work and surveys in this field, and that the center shall have an independent legal personality, having its own financial and administrative independence and the necessary legal capacity to carry out the activities that ensure the achievement of the objectives for which it has been created. The center is accountable to the Executive Council of Ras Al Khaimah, and it has a board of directors that was formed under the Resolution of the Executive Council No. (5) of 2016.
The objectives which the center strives to achieve according to Article (6) of the law in creation thereof are summarized in the construction of an integrated and developed statistical system, which contributes to advancing economic, social and environmental development within the Emirate by providing statistical support and the necessary data and indicators for decision makers to set out developmental policies. Furthermore, the center aims to regulate and develop statistical work in the Emirate and to provide accurate and reliable statistics for all users, and to ensure the implementation of surveys and specialized studies according to the internationally adopted scientific methodologies and methods
