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The fourth Economic Census is set to begin on Tuesday with plans to introduce new indices such as e-commerce and foreign workers.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) shared details about the upcoming census at a media briefing on Monday.
The census will be conducted nationwide from Dec 10 to 26, utilising a fully digital and online system, reports bdnews24.com.
A total of 140,000 tablets have been prepared for the survey, with 120,000 designated for regular use.
For the census, the country has been divided into 13 divisions, which include 130 districts, 520 Upazilas, 2,600 zones, 19,000 supervisory areas, and 95,000 enumeration areas.
In preparation, 12.23 million industrial units have been identified across the country. These include 6.62 million establishments and 5.61 million agricultural economic households.
The three-year project is budgeted at Tk 5.79 billion, of which Tk 2.34 billion has been allocated for the main survey.
“This year’s survey includes new features, such as collecting data on foreign nationals working in Bangladesh and gathering information about digital or e-commerce businesses,” Project Director SM Shakil Akhter said.
“All economic units in the country will be covered. Through 70 questions, the census will address social and environmental aspects, identify challenges, and evaluate ICT integration in production processes. It will also analyse institutions’ income, expenditure, and profitability.”
Md Mahbub Hossain, secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, added that digital maps have been created using Geographic Information System (GIS) and geo-coding to ensure the smooth execution of census activities.
“Tablets used for field data collection will be centrally managed with mobile device management software. The advanced data centre of Bangladesh Data Center Company Limited is being used to securely store and protect the collected data,” he explained.
As the national statistical agency, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducts population, agricultural, and economic censuses.
The country’s first Economic Census took place in 1986, followed by the second in 2001 and 2003 in phases. The third Economic Census was conducted in 2013.
The main objectives of the Economic Census are to gain insights into structural changes in the economy over time. Specific goals include:
· Updating institutional data
· Providing fundamental information about organisations engaged in economic activities, categorised by type
· Estimating the workforce involved in economic activities and understanding their classifications
· Assessing the facilities available in industries or businesses
· Categorising industries and businesses based on capital investment and workforce structure
· Supplying updated data to policymakers, planners, researchers, and other stakeholders for industrial development