As part of efforts to enhance joint cooperation in the statistical field and exchange expertise and statistical knowledge between the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) and the Department of Statistics, Dr. Fatimah Al Waef, Director General of Social Statistics, welcomed Dr. Ali Al-Shibl, Deputy Executive Director of the General Population and Housing Census, Director of Operations and Head of the Jordanian Statistical Delegation, at GASTAT’s headquarters in Riyadh.

The visit aimed to gain insights into GASTAT’s experience with the (Saudi Census 2022) and discuss ways to strengthen opportunities for cooperation in statistical fields, along with other topics of mutual interest.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Al-Waif warmly welcomed the Jordanian delegation, commending the fraternal relations between the two countries. She emphasized that this meeting falls within the framework of enhancing these relations and exchanging expertise in the field of statistical work. Dr. Al-Waif highlighted GASTAT's efforts in Saudi Arabia's statistical transformation, including updating methodologies for various statistical products, developing methods for calculating statistical indicators, and creating an accurate statistical database to support policymaking and decision-makers in developing developmental plans for various sectors, aligned with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

On his part, Dr. Ali Al-Shibl, head of the Jordanian delegation, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to GASTAT for hosting this visit and the efforts made. He also commended the warm reception and hospitality, emphasizing the delegation’s eagerness to benefit from Saudi Arabia's pioneering experience in the population census. Dr. Al-Shibl praised the progress and rapid development in the statistical field in Saudi Arabia as part of the ongoing statistical transformation and expressed his desire, along with the accompanying delegation, to develop joint statistical cooperation and strengthen ties to further benefit from Saudi Arabia's experience in enhancing statistical work.

The meeting was attended by statistical experts from both sides. The three-day visit took place from November 10–12, 2024, during which the phases of the Saudi Census 2022 project were reviewed. The discussions included the statistical standards and methodologies applied, the mechanisms and procedures of self-enumeration used, as well as various aspects of statistical work, including data collection, analysis, processing, storing , and publication methods.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Jordanian side expressed a strong desire to enhance the partnership between the two sides in all aspects of statistical work, aiming to exchange expertise and statistical knowledge between the two countries. The Saudi side reiterated its full commitment to providing necessary support to the Kingdom of Jordan in the field of census and other diverse areas of statistical work.

The General Authority for Statistics announced today the results of the Household Environment Statistics Publication 2023  in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results indicated that bottled water is the primary source of drinking water used by households in Saudi Arabia, with a reliance rate of 57.24%. This is followed by public network water at 23.56%, tanker water at 18.60%, and other sources at 0.60%.
Based on the publication, the percentage of households showing interest in environmental topics reached 87.98%, while 3.94% indicate a lack of interest, and 8.08% are neutral toward environmental topics. The results also showed that 33.48% of households use electrical devices or tools to conserve water, while 66.52% of households do not use water conservation devices or tools.

The results indicated that 47.34% of households complain about visual pollution, 43.33% suffer from noise pollution, and 38.10% experience air pollution. Meanwhile, 6.56% of households reported being bothered by light pollution. 99.44% of total households dispose of household waste in public waste containers, while 0.38% of households burn their waste, 0.02% bury it, and 0.17% use other disposal methods.

The results demonstrated that 60.08% of households have a first aid kit, 40.57% have a fire extinguisher, and 16.84% have fire alarm systems. The results also showed that 17.51% of households have trees at their homes, 7.32% have palm trees, 5.47% have bougainvillea trees, 4.31% have Indian jasmine, and 2.70% have Sidr trees.
The Household Environment Statistics Publication is based on the data of the Household Environment Survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), by collecting data through CATI for a sample covering all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data was also collected from the sources of administrative records from relevant entities. The survey aims to fulfill the requirements of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators, in addition to providing indicators that support decision-makers and strategic planning.

The General Authority for Statistics announced the results of the Household Energy Statistics Publication 2023  in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results indicated that Riyadh region had the highest electrical energy consumption, making up 28.1%, followed by Makkah region at 25.5%. The Eastern region accounted for 16.7% of the consumption, while Al-Baha region recorded the lowest electrical energy consumption at 0.9% among all administrative regions .
In 2023, the average weekly operating hours for water heating appliances was 62.1 hours, while air conditioning units operated for an average of 51.5 hours per week. Heating appliances averaged 17.9 hours of operation weekly, and cooking appliances were used for an average of 6.8 hours per week. 

In 2023, 92.1% of households showed strong interest in energy conservation. Additionally, 83.6% of households followed energy-saving practices when using household appliances. Furthermore, 55.2% of households expressed a willingness to invest in replacing old appliances with newer, more energy-efficient models. The results also revealed that 42.3% of households were interested in using solar energy in their homes across the Kingdom.

In 2023, 98.4% of households in the residential sector used different energy sources for cooking, 89% used gas (cooking gas), and 9.3% used electricity for cooking. The remaining 0.1% of households used other types of energy for cooking.

The Household Energy Statistics Publication relies on two primary sources including data from the Household Energy Survey and administrative records from the Ministry of Energy. The results of the publication also present data on the use of different forms of energy in dwelling by types of dwellings and their ownership in Saudi Arabia.

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced today that non-oil exports increased by 22.8% in September 2024. Additionally, national non-oil exports, excluding re-exports, rose by 11.6%, while the value of re-exported goods increased by 65.4% during the same period, according to the International Trade Publication, September 2024.
The results also indicated a decline in total merchandise exports by 14.9% in September 2024, while the ratio of oil exports to total exports dropped from 79.7% in September 2023 to 70.7% in September 2024. The results further revealed a 15.0% increase in the Kingdom’s imports in September 2024. As for the trade balance, the surplus decreased by 56.9% compared to September 2024.
Moreover, the publication showed that the percentage of non-oil merchandise exports reached 37.1% in September 2024, due to the significant increase in non-oil exports (22.8%) in contrast to the rise in imports (15.0%).