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“GASTAT” Releases the Results of the Household Energy Survey for 2018 The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the results of the “Household Energy Survey (2018)” on its official website www.stats.gov.sa. It is a field survey that collects household energy data from a sample of households covering all 13 administrative regions across the Kingdom.  This data can calculate many estimates and indicators about energy consumption in the domestic sector. The Household Energy survey aims at providing data related to the housing characteristics such as the type of housing, its components, the areas that are air-conditioned and heated, the impact of economic, social and geographical variables on energy consumption, household uses of fuel of all kinds to supplement the primary consumption coverage of various energy forms, which contributes to the preparation of energy balance, identifying patterns of energy consumption and the forms of energy used in the domestics sector. The results of the household energy survey showed that (100%) of the households use electricity in their houses. (99.85%) of their houses are connected to the public electricity network. (0.11%) use a private network as a source for electricity, while (0.04%) use a generator as a source of electricity. The results also showed that the percentage of households using solar energy at homes reached (1.45%). The results also showed that the percentage of households using an independent electric meter reached (84.33%), while (15.67%) are using an electric meter shared with other houses, whereas (15.38%) use power regulator at home. Regarding the use of fuel, the results showed that about (90.72%) of households use gas as the main fuel for cooking, while (8.74%) of households use electricity for cooking. In addition, (8.22%) of households use (wood, coal and agricultural waste) at home for heating and cooking. Regarding the patterns and behavior of households in the rationalization of power consumption, the results showed that (59.84%) of households are interested in 65cutting expenses or rationalization of power consumption. It also showed that (35.75%) of the households are likely interested in power consumption rationalization while only (4.41%) of the households are not interested at all in cutting expenses or rationalizing power consumption. The results showed that (29.35%) of the households have power savers at their houses while (70.65%) of households don’t have power savers to rationalize consumption Furthermore, the results of the Household Energy Survey showed that the total consumption of household fuel (fuel oil), kerosene and LPG reached more than 1 billion liters (1,023,585,906) in all regions of the Kingdom. The volume of consumption of diesel (fuel oil) reached about (3,519,261) three million five hundred thousand liters, which represents about (0.34%) total consumption volume, while the consumption of gas (kerosene) reached more than nineteen million L (19,691,996) representing about 1.92% of the total volume of consumption. The volume of consumption of gas (LPG) reached about one billion liters (1,000,374,649) in 2018, representing (97.74%) of the total volume of consumption. The results of the Household Energy Survey showed that (35.14%) of households in the Kingdom spend less than 5% of their income on electricity and other sources of fuel, while (43.08%) of the households spend between (5-10%) on energy, while (15.76%) of households spend between (11-15%) on energy. (4.01%) of households spend between (16-20%) of their income on energy and (2%) Spends more than (20%) of its income on electricity and other fuel sources. It is worth mentioning that the Household Energy Survey of 2018 is the second survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics on an annual basis.

GASTAT: Consumer Price Index (CPI) Decreases and Annual Index Rises in October,2018 General Authority for Statistics GASTAT released its monthly report of CPI in Saudi Arabia for October. The report was published on its official website www.stats.gov.sa . The Consumer Price Index CPI decreased 0.3% in October compared to the previous month (September 2018). GASTAT report showed that the Consumer Price Index CPI in Saudi Arabia decreased to (106.8) Index Points in October from (107.1) in September of 2018 with 0.3% change. On the other hand, the report attributed the monthly decline of the index to the declines of the eight sections composing it, which are: housing, water, electricity and gas section with 0.8% , home furnishing and equipment section with 0.4%, clothing and shoes section with 0.3%, transportation section with 0.3%, personal goods and services section with 0.2%, health section with 0.1%, culture and entertainment section with 0.1%, and finally restaurants and hotels sections with 0.1%. In contrast, two of the main sections witnessed an increase, which are: food and beverages section with 0.2% and tobacco section with 0.1%. Telecommunication and education sections remained stable with no change. The year-over-year (YOY) of CPI registered an increase of 2.4% in October 2018 compared to the same month last year reaching (106.8) in October 2018 compared to (104.3) in October 2017. The ten sections composing the CPI contributed to year-over-year increase, which are: transportation section 11.5%, tobacco 10.2%, restaurants and hotels 8.7%, food and beverages 7.3%, health 4.0%, culture and entertainment 3.2%, home furnishing and equipment 2.8%, telecommunication 1.4%, education 0.2%, personal goods and services 0.1%. On the other hand, two of the main sections witnessed a decline, which are: clothing and shoes section with 5.0% as well as housing, water, electricity and gas section with 3.6%.

GASTAT: Index of Industrial Production Increased during the Second Quarter of 2018 On its official website www.stats.gov.sa , GASTAT released the results of the industrial production survey for the second quarter of 2018. This survey measures the relative change or any developments in the quantities of commodities and material production. The survey results indicated an increase by 4.17% in the industrial production index during the second quarter of 2018, compared to the first quarter of the same year. The index registered 137.87 points during the second quarter, 2018.  As for the industrial production index activities, the mining and quarrying indicator rose by 1.89%, whereas the manufacturing production increased by 5.07%. However, the production of the electricity and gas supply registered an increase with 83.46% when compared to the first quarter of 2018. The results also showed an increase by 5.84% in all industrial activities compared to the second quarter of 2017. The growth in mining and quarrying production reached 1.95%, while the manufacturing production growth registered 16.44%. However, the production of electricity and gas supply decreased by 0.30%. In this context, industrial production means transforming raw material (inputs) into consuming material in its final shape as (outputs) so that the producing establishment may gain a profit in return. On the other hand, the extractive industries mean raw material extracted from the ground. They depend on non-renewable natural resources such as oil and mining. However, manufacturing concerns all industries whose activity is all about transforming raw material into final products or intermediate products. It is worth mentioning that the idea of index means the measurement of any change in a given value during a specific period of time called the comparison period which compares the values during different periods of times. The Industrial Production Index is considered the fourth statistical product that GASTAT conducts as an index. It is conducted after Consumer Price Index, Wholesale Prices Index, and Real-estate Prices Index.

GASTAT: Number of Saudi Workers Working at Private Establishments Rose to 5.7% On Wednesday 29/2/1440 H corresponding to 7/11/2018 , GASTAT released the results of the “Economic Indicators Survey (Q2, 2018)” on its official website www.stats.gov.sa . The results provide short-term indicators about the number of workers by gender and nationality as well as the paid compensations, operating expenses and operating revenues as a periodical study that focuses on the features and the components of the working institutions practicing one economic activity or several economic activities in public and private sectors. The results of the survey showed that the total number of workers working at private establishments increased by 3.6% compared to the same quarter of 2017. It also showed an increase of 5.7% in the total number of Saudi workers working at private establishments compared to the same quarter of 2017. In addition, the total paid compensations of workers working at private establishments rose to 8.9% compared to the same quarter of 2017, results showed. According to the survey’s results, the total operating expenses of private establishments increased by 10.2% compared to the same quarter of 2017. The total operating revenues of private establishments also increased by 9.9% compared to the same quarter of 2017.  Economic indicators are a set of economic statistics and data which can be used as a short-term plan to measure the performance of the various economic sectors in order to evaluate the economic situation and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of economy.

Three Economic Indicators Suggest an Economic Growth GASTAT: Per Capita GDP, Current Account of the Balance of Payments and Total Savings of the 2nd Quarter of 2018 Increased      On its official website www.statts.gov.sa , GASTAT published three economic indicators which are: GDP per capita  for the 2nd quarter (2018),  the surplus or deficit in the current account of the balance of payments for the 2nd quarter (2018), and the total savings index for the second quarter of 2018. Furthermore, per capita share at current prices reached (21.997) riyals with an increase of (14.91%) compared to the 2nd quarter of 2017. On the other hand, GDP per capita reached (22.272) riyals for the 2nd quarter of 2018 with an increase of (14.20%) compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The above-mentioned indicator reflects the individual’s ability to obtain consuming goods and services, shows the average income per capita in Saudi Arabia on a quarterly basis, also it can be used to measure the economic development around the world and to compare between countries as well, GASTAT clarified.    In regard to surplus and deficit in current account for the 2nd quarter of 2018, the current account indicator of the balance of payment achieved a surplus amounted to (9.82%) to GDP during the 2nd quarter of 2018; and the deficit was (3.24%) in the current account of the balance of payments in the 2nd quarter (2018).   GASTAT also published the total savings indicator for the second quarter of 2018 where it reached 242 billion and 497 million riyals with an increase of (29.13%) compared to the same period last year 187 billion and 793 million riyals. The total savings rate to GDP edged up to (33.09%) in the 2nd quarter of 2018 compared to (30.18%) in the same period of the previous year.

Included the whole salary “basic, allowances, bonuses, overtimes, and other compensations” GASTAT: Saudi Workers Monthly Average Wage in Four Sectors: 10.238 SAR The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) spokesman, Taiseer Almofarrej said that according to the labor market bulletin of the second quarter, 2018, the average monthly wage of Saudi workers who get paid for their work in four sectors; public sector, private sector, non-profit organizations, international and regional agencies, and other sectors reached (10.238) SAR. Regarding the calculation method of this average, Almofarrej stated that it was measured based on estimating the average wages of all Saudis (males and females) in the above mentioned four sectors either inside Saudi Arabia or outside it, in addition to the wages of workers in other sectors which were taken from the field survey that GASTAT conducts quarterly by asking households about their monthly wages. Almofarrej indicated that the wages about which households are asked differ from the wages registered in the administrative records of the different sectors, where the head of the household disclose the monthly wage for any work which may not include a job salary or any related allowances or bonuses. However, Almofarrej said that the average wages of Saudis (males and females) who work in these sectors registered (11.198 SAR) in the public sector, (7.339 SAR) in the private sector, (4.750 SAR) at non- profit organizations, and (16.257 SAR) in the other international and regional agencies and sectors. As for the difference between the statistics issued by GASTAT and the ones issued by other entities such as GOSI, Almofarrej illustrated that the statistics issued by GOSI represent the basic salary average registered by the employer. They do not include any additions such as allowances, compensations, or bonuses. Therefore, it is normal to have an average that is less than the average derived from the answers of households’ heads in the field survey based on which GASTAT issue its statistics. Regarding the reasons why the Bulletin of the labor market revealed statistics that were not shown in previous years, Taiseer Almofarrej confirmed that what was issued earlier is the results of the Labor Force Survey, this is the results of the fieldwork that GASTAT conducts every quarter. Since the results of the fourth quarter of 2016, GASTAT has begun to issue a more comprehensive release under the name "Bulletin of the labor market." What distinguishes the bulletin is that it is an integrated work between government institutions (the General Authority for Statistics, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, the Ministry of Civil Service, in addition to the National Information Center (NIC), the results of the field survey and the registered data provide a panoramic and comprehensive picture of the labor market. As a result of this statistical integration, the Bulletin contains a large number of detailed data on employees according to the rules and regulations to which they are subject, Gender, age, administrative region, and educational level. It also includes data of jobseekers, average monthly wages, working hours, and domestic workers. The aim is to support policy and decision makers.

GASTAT Launches its Awareness Week for Students of General and Higher Education in Al-Jouf Region As part of its plan to raise statistical awareness among all segments of the society, including the students of general education and higher education, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) organized the "Smart Statistician" exhibition in cooperation with the General Directorate of Education in Al-Jouf Region. The exhibition will be held at Al-Sudairiya School in Sakaka city, during the period from 20th  to 24th of Muharram 1440 AH, where more than 70 schools from the region were invited to visit and participate. The exhibition, which is intended for students in the upper grades of the primary and intermediate levels, aims to highlight the importance of statistics in the life of the student, introduce the most important concepts related to statistics, help students in reaching a high level of awareness of the importance of statistics, as well as the steps and stages of the statistical process in a scientific and exciting way. In addition, it enhances the students' understanding of the role of statistical systems, the statistical field researchers and the impact of the accuracy of data provided by (households and establishments) on development in all its fields, considering that the student is an influential media in the family as he transfers everything that he learns in school to his family. The exhibition starts its activities with an introductory video. The student will begin to move among the sections that contain scientific information presented in a fun and entertaining way by learning about statistics, the difference between statistics and mathematics, the role of the General Authority for Statistics, how to carry out field statistical research through a practical experiment conducted by the student by playing the role of a "statistical researcher" and visiting a household using the electronic form of field research, to simulate the reality of statistical researcher. The exhibition, which opens from 9 am to 1 pm during the week, includes a number of shows and competitions, such as the competition of regions and numbers, which aims to identify the population of the regions, the statistical signs competition, which aims to enhance the student's understanding of its importance in the census and statistical surveys in general. On Wednesday, Muharram 23rd, 1440 AH, GASTAT will also present a lecture on the importance of statistics hosted by Dumat Al-Jandal Intermediate School in the presence of a number of students from the governorate schools. On the other hand, in the same period, Al-Jouf university will hold the event of (We are with you in your academic trip). In this event, an awareness booth will be set up to introduce all university students, faculty members and employees at the university with GASTAT products, statistical services and how to obtain them and benefit from them in research and academic studies. The event will conclude with an awareness lecture to be held at the University Theater on Thursday, 24th of Muharram, during which the students will be introduced with the role of the college student in the development as well as their role in spreading of awareness among the society.

Targeting 190,000 households and 40,000 Establishments GASTAT Conducts 9 Field Surveys that Continue Until the Beginning Of  Rabi’ Al-Thani 1440H. The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) called upon all citizens and residents, as individuals or in corporations, to cooperate with the statisticians working in the field in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who their statistical work will continue until the beginning of Rabi’ Al-Thani 1440H. GASTAT asserted that all information and data will be treated as an information basis which is reliable and can be used by development decision-makers in all relevant government entities that will serve the interest of citizens and residents. GASTAT spokesman, Mr. Taiseer Almofarrej said that about 3437 statisticians are conducting 9 social and economic field surveys during this period and until the beginning of Rabi’ Al-Thani 1440H.  These surveys target about 190,000 households and 40,000 establishments in all (13) administrative regions, including cities and governorate. The results of these surveys are one of the most important pillars when taking decisions that are relevant. The households will be visited in the areas designated to conduct the Household Heath Survey, Food and Drugs Survey, Non-profit Sector Survey (Household), Labor Force Survey, Umrah Survey, estimate of Makkah pilgrims survey, Household Culture and Entertainment Survey, Use of Time Survey and household Economic Survey.    He added that the Household Health Survey for the fourth quarter of 2018 aims to provide data to help health planners to develop, update and follow up the implementation of some health policies and strategies. In addition, it provides data enabling decision makers and health policy makers to conduct regional and international comparisons to develop the health field in Saudi Arabia to Standards, as well as creating a database that can be used as a reliable basis in providing local, regional and international organizations with health information and indicators. Furthermore, it provides accurate data to help monitor the implementation of and assess the impact of certain health programs, such as, programs related to chronic diseases, lifestyles and child mortality, as well as provide accurate data that help identify the disadvantaged groups, and thus contribute to targeting these categories with relevant strategic health initiatives and programs.   In the field of economic statistical surveys, the official spokesman of GASTAT said that the surveys will be conducted on the non-profit sector (households and establishments) in order to identify the size of this sector in reality and its contribution to the Saudi National Product. In addition, it measures the contribution of the community members in volunteer work, and aims at measuring the perceptions of the community members for the role of voluntary organizations and their final outputs in supporting development plans, and supporting decision makers and planners in the process of maximizing the outputs of the non-profit activity helping in achieving the Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision seeking to increase the contribution of the charitable sector to the GDP and to increase the number of volunteers. The Food and Drug Survey aims at identifying data on the quality of medicines in houses, in addition to providing data on the storage and disposal of medicines, as well as the extraction of health indicators of the drugs to meet the local, regional and international requirements in this field. All these field surveys aims at providing accurate and detailed data that helps to know the growth rates of the economic and social activities in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Almofarrej clarified that the general statistics system issued by the ministers’ cabinet, states that all data and information provided by any citizen, resident, or establishment are kept and dealt with confidentiality. He added that the people’s cooperation with statisticians would guarantee the success of these works, and using them in supporting economic and social development accordingly.  It is worth mentioning that GASTAT carries out a large number of field surveys throughout the year, following the international standards adopted in the selection of the sample for these statistical works. It is required that the sample is representative of the society studied and include its characteristics, so that the results are circulated as official statistics. GASTAT immediately publish the surveys after the completion through its official website www.stats.gov.sa

To prepare 189 health indicators and to establish a national monitor for health indicators Collaboration between Ministry of Health, GASTAT, and Saudi Health Council to Provide Health Database for Development Support With the aim of improving health indicators, Ministry of Health, GASTAT, and Saudi Health Council are working together to provide 189 health indicators through field and register-based statistical works, supporting the establishment of the national monitor for health indicators, preparing and publishing statistical health reports, meeting  international, regional and local requirements of health indicators specially those related to World Health Organization (WHO) or to the Sustainable Development Indicators. More importantly, providing a health database that can be used by policy and decision makers and can also support researchers and those who are interested in the social field in general and in health in particular. In addition, official spokesman of GASTAT, Tayseer AL-Moferraj, clarified that the integrated work between the three entities comes from the joint responsibility for health data and information in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, GASTAT is the official statistical entity and regulator responsible for statistical works at the national level. Also, it is responsible for collecting data and information from the administrative records available at public entities and private establishments. Not to mention its responsibility in classifying and analyzing data as well as extracting its indicators. Moreover, GASTAT found a complete and a comprehensive combination of national statistical database of various fields in addition to centralized information system that is automatically linked with all public entities. On the other hand, Ministry of Health is the responsible entity for providing, assessing and evaluating health care services in Saudi Arabia. It also collects vital and health data about health activities, prepares related reports and makes, conducts and analyzes studies and scientific researches. At the same time, Saudi Health Council is in charge with studying and evaluating the level of health services. It is also concerned with establishing the national monitor for health, identifying the requirements of health sector, taking the necessary recommendations about distributing all types of health services in Saudi Arabia as well as improving the quality of health services.  AL-Moferraj added that the joint work which started with a number of meetings for the technical teams from the three entities has included cooperation, coordination, and provision of statistical and technical support to improve the national monitor for health, exchange data and health indicators that serve the production of national statistics and statistical database by linking the related entities through the Global Safety Network (GSN). Additionally, the joint work will also support the requirements of statistical field works as well as provide and improve data and statistical indicators given by the related entities and set for the statistical data program “Masdar”.  On the other hand, Tayseer AL-Moferraj clarified that the 189 health indicators that are going to be prepared and produced will contain new indicators as well, all of which are within Saudi Arabia’s commitment to publish health indicators related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), such as: adults between (15-60 years old) mortality rate, under-five children mortality rate, infants mortality rate, newborn mortality rate, tuberculosis mortality rate, total fertility rate, new cases of vaccine-targeted diseases, cancer incidence rate, rate of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, prevalence of anemia among children, pollution level in cities, prevalence of hypertension among adults (18 years and above), diabetes among adults (18 years and above),  salt intake for adults (18 years and above), lack of physical activity among adults (18 years and above) ( including teenagers), request for health care due to pneumonia, the coverage rate for each vaccine included in the nationally approved immunization schedule, easy access to health service (which means the percentage of individuals who live 5 Km away from a health facility), total expenditure on health (as a percent) of GDP, and other indicators that can be utilized for health planning.  It is worth mentioning that GASTAT has released the report of Household Health Survey 2017 results last July. It includs more than 85 indicators of health and social phenomena as well as household health in Saudi Arabia; in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. The above-mentioned report which was published on GASTAT website contains a number of indicators related to the health status in Saudi Arabia in addition to childhood and motherhood indicators and other indicators about the community’s healthy lifestyle. The report also includes data about smoking phenomena, accidents injuries, studies related to marriage, family planning, fertility and children mortality.