RAK to roll out first phase of population census from Nov.1

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Sheikh Saud’s comments were delivered via a video message on Tuesday 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 Nov.1, 2022. 

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,” he further said.

“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,” he concluded. 

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 comprising 400 trained staff of Ras Al Khaimah Statistics Center 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 Feb.1 to Feb.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.