Amman, Sept. 9 (Petra) — The Parliamentary Bloc of the Initiative
Party, chaired by MP Ahmad Al-Hmeisat, discussed on Wednesday with
Director-General of the Department of Statistics, Haidar Freihat,
several issues related to statistics and the population census,
including its implementation mechanisms and objectives, in light of
rapid developments in digital transformation.

Al-Hmeisat said statistics and the population census represented an
important national project, questioning the objectives of the
statistical process, including whether it aimed to determine poverty
and unemployment rates in the Kingdom, and what new elements would be
included in the 2026 statistics.

MPs Tareq Bani Hani, Hammoud Al-Zawahreh, Rand Al-Khazouz, Mohammad
Al-Bustangi, Amal Al-Shaqran, Hussein Al-Amoush, Abdul Hadi Breizat,
Mustafa Al-Khasawneh, Badr Al-Harahsheh, Ferial Bani Salman, Mohammad
Al-Mahamid and Shifa Al-Muqabaleh called for moving statistics and
the census beyond their traditional framework and adopting digital
and electronic methods, particularly as a large proportion of
government services had been automated and made available through the
Sanad application.

They said conducting the census electronically would save the
government time and costs, praising the role of the Department of
Statistics.

Freihat said the upcoming population census would be the seventh in
the Kingdom’s history, noting that statistical surveys were conducted
daily to determine unemployment rates and other indicators.

The census questionnaire contains 65 questions, he said.

Despite technological advances and digital transformation in many
countries around the world, those countries had not abandoned
household visits in conducting census operations, Freihat said,
stressing the importance of field visits in collecting data.

He said the Department of Statistics had taken all necessary measures
to protect statistical information and data.

The population census was also part of Jordan’s commitment to
relevant international standards and obligations concerning
population censuses and official statistics, he added.

//Petra// AF