CAIRO, June 12 (MENA) - Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli stressed on Thursday that promoting the state's efforts to increase economic growth rates and investments in priority sectors within Egypt's Vision 2030 depends primarily on the availability of accurate and up-to-date data and statistics.

Madbouli gave the remarks during a meeting in the presence of Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania el-Mashat, head of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) Khairat Barakat and a number of ministry officials.

The meeting is meant to discuss the plan and methodology for conducting the 2027 General Census for Population, Housing and Establishments.

Madbouli said data availability improves the process of developing economic policies, especially in light of the data provided by surveys and censuses on population growth rates, population distribution, economic activities and the labor market according to geographical distribution.

Given data supports economic development programs and enhances the decision-making process based on sound, scientific planning, he said.

Mashat underlined the importance of continuously updating data to support decision-making and drive sustainable economic development.

Provided data also contributes to formulating effective policies based on this data across the various development sectors in the country, as well as identifying national priorities and directing resources toward the sectors most in need, thus achieving optimal resource utilization and enhancing the effectiveness of efforts, Mashat added.

The CAPMAS head said the agency is preparing to begin implementing the 15th population, housing, and establishments census in 2027, based on international recommendations and modern methodologies recommended by the United Nations Statistical Commission.

The census provides an all-out database on everything within the country's borders through a comprehensive inventory that covers both building data and its components, including residential and non-residential units featuring key characteristics, as well as population data, numbers, demographic, social and economic aspects, in addition to the number of establishments and their economic guides.

In the same context, he said census data, along with other data sources such as official records and surveys, are used as a central database for providing and disseminating official statistics. Census data also contributes to the verification and review of data from other statistical sources, said the CAPMAS head.

Cabinet spokesman Mohamed el Homsani said the CAPMAS head reviewed the 2027 census methodology, the development of census implementation mechanisms and methodologies, and new developments in census methodology within the framework of modern census approaches.

The CAPMAS is working to implement the 2027 general census using a comprehensive field enumeration method based on electronic data collection, matching it with data from digital records (databases of state agencies and institutions), and completing some data not available in official records while ensuring consistency of data from these records with international statistical principles and foundations for censuses, he added.

The first phase of data collection was discussed at the meeting, including a comprehensive inventory of buildings and their components during the period from December 2026 to February 2027, Homsany said. The second phase of data collection also included an all-out population census during the period from April 2027 to May 2027, he added.

The two phases would be followed by the third phase of data collection, consisting of a comprehensive inventory of establishments during the period from June 2027 to July 2027, said the spokesman.

The requirements for implementing the next census methodology and the proposed budget for its implementation were also discussed, he added. (MENA)

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