RIYADH: Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri on Wednesday said March 17, 2020, will be the start date for the Kingdom’s fifth General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments. 
Al-Tuwaijri, who is also chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), made the announcement during his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the 2020 census.
Dr. Fahd Al-Sahefi, head of GASTAT, addressed the importance of the census and reviewed efforts to prepare for it.
As part of the preparations, GASTAT organized a forum, which included workshops, to raise awareness about the importance of the census. 
The census will provide a broad base of data to be used as a reliable basis for conducting studies and research required by the Kingdom’s development programs and plans. 
The census will also provide statistical data and indicators to measure changes in population characteristics, and to conduct local, regional and international comparisons.
Saudi Arabia conducted its first official census in 1974, the second in 1992, the third in 2004 and the fourth in 2010. As of the last census, the Kingdom’s population was 27,136,977.