Economic Census 2024 kicks off tomorrow

The fourth Economic Census of the country will start on Tuesday, aiming to have a comprehensive understanding of the structural changes in the nation's economy over time.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) announced this at a press briefing held at its auditorium today.

The census, which will be conducted nationwide from 10-26 December, will utilise a fully digital system. 

The slogan for the Economic Census 2024 is "Orthonoitik Shumarite Tottho Din, Notun Bangladesh Binirmane Ongsho Nin".

Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Director General Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Economic Census Project Director and Additional Secretary SM Shakil Akhter, and Statistics Division Joint Secretary Dr Dipankar Roy spoke at the press briefing. Economic Census Deputy Project Director Mizanur Rahman provided an overview of the census.

The primary objectives of the Economic Census are to gain insights into structural changes in the economy over time; determine the structure of non-farm economic activities; provide institutional data; offer fundamental information about organisations engaged in economic activities, categorised by type; estimate the workforce involved in economic activities and understand their classifications; assess facilities available in industries or businesses; categorise industries and businesses based on capital investment and workforce structure; and supply updated data to policymakers, planners, researchers, and other stakeholders for industrial development.

Md Mahbub Hossain said this Economic Census would be entirely paperless, leaving no scope for external interference.

He said digital maps have been created using Geographic Information System (GIS) and geo-coding to ensure the smooth execution of census activities.

Enumerators have already been provided with identity cards to facilitate access to census units.

The secretary urged all stakeholders to ensure active participation and cooperation for the success of the economic census.

Project Director SM Shakil Akhter mentioned that a report on the main census operations would be ready by the end of January 2025. Some 95,000 skilled and experienced enumerators have been selected for the census, he added.

A total of 140,000 tablets have been prepared for the Economic Census, with 1.13 lakh tablets kept on standby, following their use in the recent Population Census.

Responding to a question, Joint Secretary Dr Dipankar Roy highlighted new features of this census, including the introduction of income, expenditure, and profit data for units and the inclusion of e-commerce operations.

"One enumerator will gather information on 150 units, including new establishments within their jurisdiction," Dr Roy said.

The census will cover 1.22 crore economic households, ensuring no economic activity is excluded, even mobile units like vegetable vendors on vans.

He also mentioned that a Post-Enumeration Check (PEC) would be conducted to rectify any errors found in the census.

This year's Economic Census will include new aspects, such as data on foreign nationals working in Bangladesh and information on digital and e-commerce businesses.

The census will address social and environmental issues, identify challenges, and evaluate ICT integration in production processes through 70 questions. It will also analyse institutions' income, expenditure, and profitability.

The country has been divided into 13 divisions, 130 districts, 520 Upazilas, 2,600 zones, 19,000 supervisory areas, and 95,000 enumeration areas for the census.

The three-year Economic Census project has a budget of Tk579 crore.

As the national statistical agency, the BBS conducts population, agricultural, and economic censuses.

The country's first Economic Census was conducted in 1986, followed by the second in 2001 and 2003 (in phases), and the third in 2013.