Statistics  

Social Statistics Projects» Household Expenditure and Income Survey

The Ministry, represented by the Directorate General of Social Statistics conducted the first full-fledged household expenditure and income survey, the first operation of which started on the first week of May 1999. The survey was initially decided to run for one year but was extended for two years more, and in recognition of the household data which this survey provides and for the purpose of acknowledging these

results in a more realistic manner, the first and second phases of the survey have witnessed the implementation of a number of specialized studies and accompanying surveys which included nutrition, measurement of living conditions, time use, environment, use of leisure time and the survey of culture.

The Ministry implemented the survey for the second time in 2006 by the use of random sampling. The sample has been designed to represent all Omani and expatriate households in the Sultanate. This household expenditure and income survey comprised a sample of around 5000 households distributed in all governorates and regions. The household sample represented 1.5% of the total households as depicted by the results of the 2003 population census. As mentioned above, this survey is undertaken by the Directorate General of Social Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy.

It is planned to carry out this survey annually for a period of five consecutive years which would provide a large number of surveyed households, thus making available more accurate averages which would help in drawing the map of the standard of living at a smaller geographical level such as the Walayat. The survey would also provide more realistic data less affected by the fluctuations that could happen in one year in the economy and to observe the changes in the National Economy, resulting from external influences, the most important among which are the oil prices and trade liberalization. The implementation of the survey for five consecutive years would also assist in spreading awareness about consumption and saving among households and open new horizons about the possibilities of new ways for increasing household income and encouraging family production.

Other specialized studies and accompanied surveys would be carried out as well, including standard of living survey, information technology indicators survey and domestic tourism survey.

By carrying out this survey, the Ministry is striving to achieve many objectives, the most important of which is to obtain knowledge about the size, patterns and averages of annual household consumption expenditure in the Sultanate, in addition to providing the required data for estimating the average weights used in the preparation of price indices of consumption goods. These indices reflect the relative importance of consumption items for the household sector.

The survey also aims to calculate the consumption elasticity of goods and services in comparison with changes in income and to obtain the size of the present demand for goods and services, estimate the demand for these goods and services in the future for meeting the needs of the population whether from local production or imports or from both. Furthermore, the survey also aims to obtain information on the population distribution according to the different patterns of consumption, to identify the way by which the household sector dispense of the surplus of current income or the manner by which it can finance the deficit between income and expenditure. The survey would also make possible the identification of size of the informal sector, its productivity within the household sector and its importance to the national economy.