Muscat: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) lauded the success of the Sultanate’s 2020 Census of Population, Residences and Establishments, whose results were endorsed by His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on 14 December 2020.
The eCensus showed that the Sultanate’s population stood at 4.714 million as of the 12th of December last year.
In a letter received by the National Centre of Statistics and Information (NCSI), the Unicef said, “We congratulate you on the success of the Electronic Census 2020. The availability of complete, accurate and up-to-date information is an essential criteria for developing policies aimed to enhance the welfare of children and youth in the Sultanate.”
It commended the abundance of data furnished by the eCensus, describing it as “a wealth of information covering all sectors.”
The UNICEF pledged its continuous support to the NCSI through the documentation of its data and its methods of processing them. “It is an exemplary accomplishment hailed by regional and international organisations concerned,” said the UNICEF.
It noted that Oman’s eCensu was conducted at the peak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that overwhelmed parts of the world in 2020, compelling many countries to postpone their censuses.
“Despite the challenges, the Sultanate conducted Census 2020 as scheduled and published its results in record time, namely within 48 hours from the cut-off date, the 12th of December, when all data was scheduled to be handed over to the authorities concerned.”
The mission was accomplished with precision, said the UNICEF.