تلبية لدعوة هيئة الإحصاء ونظم المعلومات الجغرافية بجمهورية العراق شارك رئيس الهيئة العامة للإحصاء الدكتور فهد بن عبد الله الدوسري في المؤتمر الوطني لإعلان النتائج الأساسية للتعداد العام للسكان والمساكن 2024 بجمهورية العراق والذي أقيم في مدينة بغداد، ويأتي المؤتمر في إطار إعلان افتتاح نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير التخطيط بجمهورية العراق معالي الدكتور محمد بن علي تميم عن نتائج أول تعداد وطني للسكان في العراق، إذ يُعد حدثاً وطنياً بالغ الأهمية سيلقي بظلاله على مستقبل العراق الاقتصادي والاجتماعي والسياسي بالإضافة إلى رسم صورة دقيقة عن التوزيع السكاني تسهم في وضع خطط وسياسات أفضل للتنمية المستدامة ودعم اتخاذ القرارات وتحقيق مستهدفات الرؤى المستقبلية لجمهورية العراق. 
 وخلال مشاركة الدوسري في جلسة حوارية تحت عنوان تحويل نتائج التعداد السكني إلى عمل "دروس مستفادة من التجارب العالمية" أوضح أن الهيئة العامة للإحصاء سعت إلى مواكبة التحولات الشاملة التي شهدتها المملكة في ظل رؤية السعودية 2030، فمنذ انطلاق الرؤية، ارتفعت جودة ودقة البيانات بشكل كبير، وارتفع مستوى التكامل والتشاركية بين الجهات الحكومية، وتطورت البنية التحتية الرقمية في المملكة، مما مكن الهيئة من اتباع أفضل المنهجيات العالمية والاستفادة من أحدث التقنيات في تنفيذ تعداد السعودية 2022 بالاستفادة من الأقمار الصناعية وتقنية العد الذاتي واتباع الأساليب الحديثة لإصدار البيانات الإحصائية. 
وفي ذات السياق قال الدكتور فهد الدوسري أن التركيز على تحديث الأنظمة الإحصائية يتماشى مع رؤية المملكة العربية السعودية 2030 التي تعطي الأولوية للابتكار التكنولوجي والحوكمة القائمة على البيانات المنظمة. مشيراً إلى استثمار المملكة العربية السعودية يأتي إيماناً بأن التطور التقني ليس فقط وسيلة لتحسين الكفاءة والدقة، بل هو ركيزة أساسية لتحويل المراكز الإحصائية إلى أدوات استراتيجية تدعم صناع القرار في تطوير سياسات اقتصادية واجتماعية قائمة على البيانات.
يذكر أن المملكة تشارك في المؤتمر الوطني لإعلان النتائج الأساسية للتعداد العام للسكان والمساكن 2024 بجمهورية العراق  والذي أقيم في بغداد ممثلة في الهيئة العامة للإحصاء بحضور  نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير التخطيط بجمهورية العراق معالي الدكتور محمد بن علي تميم، وزير التخطيط لحكومة إقليم كردستان معالي الدكتور دارا رشيد وعدد من الوزراء وأعضاء البرلمان ورؤساء الهيئات إلى جانب ممثل الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة والوكالات الدولية والسفراء المعتمدين في العراق و رؤساء الأجهزة الإحصائية العربية وخبراء ومتحدثين في المجالات الإحصائية ويتمثل أهمية التعداد السكاني لجمهورية العراق بأنه الأول من نوعه بعد مرور 37 سنة والذي يعد خطوة مهمة في  توفر قاعدة بيانات إحصائية دقيقة يتم استخدامها كأساس موثوق لرسم السياسات الاقتصادية والاجتماعية ودعم صناع القرار في تطوير الخطط التنموية لمختلف القطاعات في جمهورية العراق، فضلًا عن تزويد المستثمرين المحلين والدوليين ببيانات دقيقة لتشجيع بيئة الاستثمار بما يتوافق مع مستهدفات وتوجهات رؤية العراق مستقبلاً.  
وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن وفد من هيئة الإحصاء ونظم المعلومات الجغرافية في جمهورية العراق الشقيقة سبق أن زار الهيئة العامة للإحصاء في يونيو 2024م للتعرف على تجربة المملكة الإحصائية وخاصةً ما يتعلق بالتعداد العام للسكان والمساكن (تعداد السعودية 2022)، إضافةً إلى مناقشة سُبُل تعزيز فرص تطوير التعاون في المجالات الإحصائية، وعدد من الموضوعات الأخرى ذات الاهتمام المشترك. حيث أكدت الزيارة العلاقات الأخوية والعمل على تبادل الخبرات في العمل الإحصائي بين البلدين الشقيقين والاستفادة من التجربة السعودية الرائدة في التعداد السكاني والتأكيد على الرغبة في تطوير التعاون الإحصائي المشترك وتوثيق أواصره؛ للاستفادة بشكل أكبر من التطور في العمل الإحصائي. 
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) issued the International Trade Statistics Publication for December 2024. According to the results, non-oil exports recorded an increase of 18.1% compared to December 2023. The value of re-exported goods also increased by 23.4% during the same period. However, merchandise exports decreased by 2.8% in December 2024, while imports  increased by 27.1% compared to December 2023.
The results indicated that "chemical industry products" are among the most important non-oil export goods, accounting for 25.9% of total non-oil exports. 

Furthermore, the results of the International Trade Publication for Q4 of 2024 showed a 17.3% increase in non-oil exports (including re-exports) compared to Q4 of 2023. National non-oil exports (excluding re-exports) increased by 8.2%, while the value of re-exported goods increased by 47.3% during the same period. However, merchandise exports in Q4 of 2024 decreased by 6.1% compared to the same period in 2023, mainly due to a 13.3% decrease in oil exports. The share of oil exports in the total exports decreased from 76.4% in Q4 of 2023 to 70.5% in Q4 of 2024.
Regarding imports, there was a 15.5% increase in Q4 of 2024. In terms of trade balance, the surplus decreased by 52.4% from Q4 of 2023.
It is worth noting that international trade statistics rely on administrative records from the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (non-oil) and the Ministry of Energy (oil). The Kingdom's merchandise exports and imports are classified according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System 2022.
 

The annual inflation rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached 2.0% in January 2025 compared to the previous year. The inflation rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered one of the lowest inflation rates among the G20 countries.

It is worth mentioning that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects changes in prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services consisting of 490 items. This basket was selected based on the results of a household expenditure and income survey conducted in 2018. Prices are collected through field visits to sales points, and statistics of CPI in the Kingdom are published on a monthly basis.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first among the G20 countries according to the data of those countries in the Global SDG Indicators Database, compared to the results of the Safety Index for the year 2023, issued by the General Authority for Statistics today. The results showed that 92.6% of the total population feels safe when walking alone at night in their residential areas.The released results underscored the contributions of relevant government sectors in maintaining the safety experienced by residents across all regions and governorates of the Kingdom. This aligns with ongoing initiatives to enhance security, stability, and quality of life in Saudi Arabia across various domains, including economic, food, environmental, health, social, political, intellectual, technological, and cybersecurity safety, and others. Additionally, these efforts aim to improve service quality in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Notably, Saudi Arabia topped the G20 countries in the 2020 Sustainable Development Report for achieving the highest Safety Index. The Neighborhood Safety Index Publication is a key output of the 2023 Household Socio-economic Survey, which includes various indicators covering economic, social, and household aspects in the Kingdom. It also measures the rate of residents who feel safe walking alone in their residential areas.

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Aldossari, President of the General Authority for Statistics, received Mr. Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division, at GASTAT’s headquarters in Riyadh. The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in statistical data and addressing several shared interests.
The meeting covered GASTAT’s participation in the 56th session of the Statistical Commission in March 2025, along with its preparations to host the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum in Riyadh in 2026. They also reviewed GASTAT’s initiatives to enhance Saudi Arabia’s statistical database, its leading role in developing statistical products, methodologies for calculating indicators, and governance frameworks.
This meeting was part of the GASTAT’s efforts to enhance cooperation and exchange expertise with regional and international statistical centers and organizations, facilitate knowledge transfer, showcase the progress of the statistical sector in Saudi Arabia, and explore strategies for developing human and institutional statistical capacities. It also aimed to highlight key statistical activities and improve their quality in line with best international practices.
It is worth noting that the United Nations Statistics Division is committed to advancing the global statistical system. It collects and publishes international statistical data, develops standards and frameworks for statistical activities, and supports countries in strengthening their national statistical systems. The division also provides support to the United Nations Statistical Commission, which serves as the principal body of the global statistical system.

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the flash estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2024. According to GASTAT’s estimates, the real GDP achieved a growth of 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year, marking the highest growth rate in the last two years, supported by the growth of key economic activities. Non-oil activities recorded an increase of 4.6%, while oil activities grew by 3.4%. Additionally, government activities rose by 2.2% compared to the same period of the previous year. The results also showed that the seasonally adjusted real GDP increased by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the third quarter of the same year.

It is worth mentioning that  the quarterly flash estimates of GDP provide an assessment of the real growth rates shortly after the reference quarter ends, even when the data for that quarter is still incomplete. GASTAT will publish the actual real GDP results for the fourth quarter of 2024 in March 2025.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released today the International Trade Statistics Publication for November 2024. According to the results, non-oil exports recorded an increase of 19.7% compared to November 2023. Additionally, the value of re-exports increased by 82.9% during the same period. However, the total exports of goods decreased by 4.7% in November 2024 compared to November 2023, whereas imports increased by 13.9% in November 2024.

The publication’s results showed that "chemical products" were among the main non-oil export goods, accounting for 24.0% of total non-oil exports. However, it decreased by 1.6% compared to November 2023. Next, "rubber, plastics and their products", accounting for 21.7% of non-oil exports, with a 4.0% increase from November 2023. On the import side, the largest imported goods were "electrical machinery, equipment, and parts," which constituted 28.1% of total imports, showing a 22.4% increase compared to November 2023. Following them were "transport equipment and parts," which made up 14.2% of total imports, increasing by 22.0% compared to November 2023.

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) launches the Innovation Lab today, Monday, January 20, 2025, as the first specialized innovation lab in statistics in the Kingdom. The lab aims to enhance community partnerships with researchers and stakeholders in the statistics and data science fields from universities, statistical associations, research centers, and innovation hubs. This initiative empowers the engagement in statistical innovation, reflecting GASTAT’s efforts to keep pace with economic and social changes in society and continuously innovate in metrics and indicators. This supports the delivery of high-quality and accurate statistical readings and products to help achieve the comprehensive and sustainable development goals that align with Saudi Vision 2030.

The Innovation Lab focuses on identifying statistical topics for research and sharing them with the target groups by inviting participation requests. These requests are reviewed by specialized teams, who work together with the GASTAT’s team to create an initial project proposal and evaluate its outcomes, aiming to incorporate it into the statistical production process. After receiving research applications through the statistical innovation platform and selecting the candidates, joint teams are formed between the applicants and the GASTAT’s experts to refine the project idea within six weeks. To strengthen this collaboration, the Innovation Lab will include an innovative solution in statistical products after evaluation by the technical committee.

The Innovation Lab projects will play an effective role in the development of statistical work in the Kingdom. This will be reflected in advancing statistical methodologies, coming up with data, indicators and products that read the current economic and social reality, and enabling community innovation in GASTAT’s products.

GASTAT invites those interested in applying for the proposed projects to review all details and the participation mechanism through its official portal (Statistical Innovation Platform) by visiting the following link:https://www.stats.gov.sa/web/guest/innovation-platform.

It welcomes all inquiries and requests for information through contacting the representatives at the unified statistical phone number (199009) or via email at customer support (info@stats.gov.sa) or the Innovation Lab email (innovationlab@stats.gov).

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the Early Childhood Development and Child Well-Being Statistics Publication for 2024. According to the results of the publication, the percentage of children aged (36-59 months) enrolled in early childhood education programs is 9.54%, with males representing 10.68% compared to 8.35% for females. 
The publication also indicated that the participation rate in organized learning, one year before the official enrollment in primary education, is 64.03%. This rate has seen an increase among Saudi females aged 5 years, reaching 65.58% compared to other groups. 
The results showed that 32.07% of children aged (5-7) use digital technology devices for one to two hours each day, while 25.78% of these children use these devices for less than one hour daily. Additionally, the publication revealed that 82.31% of males are on the right growth path in the areas of health, learning, psychological well-being, and social development, while 82.35% of females are on the right path in these areas. 
The results also indicated that a positive and stimulating home environment for children aged (36-59 months) involves their mothers, fathers, or any other adult family member participating in activities such as reading or looking at picture books, storytelling, singing and nursery rhymes, taking children outside, playing with them, naming objects and counting, and drawing. 

The percentage of children aged (36-59 months) living in a positive and stimulating home environment for learning is 82.90%. By sex, females achieved a rate of 83.40% compared to 82.42% for males. 
The results showed that 23.56% of children under the age of five own one or two children's books, while the percentage of those owning three or more books drops to 9.89%.  It is worth noting that early childhood development is a multidimensional process that results in gradual growth in children's motor, cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and organizational skills and abilities during the first few years of life.