GASTAT Celebrates 65 Years of Official Statistical Work in Saudi Arabia

Under the patronage of Minister of Economy and Planning and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) Faisal Alibrahim, GASTAT celebrated 65 years of official statistical work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was held at GASTAT's new headquarters in Riyadh and attended by President of GASTAT Dr. Fahd Al-Dossari, along with many leaders and employees of the authority.
 This occasion marks the continuation of a national commitment that began in 1960 with Royal Decree No. 23, which established the Kingdom's official statistical body. It later evolved into GASTAT—an independent authority and the official reference, regulator, and technical supervisor for statistical work in Saudi Arabia.
 Minister Faisal Alibrahim affirmed during the ceremony that statistics have become central to national decision-making, guiding public policy, monitoring development, and evaluating national targets. He noted that GASTAT is entering a new phase in which statistical outputs are critical to the Kingdom’s transformation across all sectors, in line with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030 and its reliance on accurate data for performance measurement.
 President Dr. Fahd Al-Dossari stated that the Kingdom ranked first among Arab countries and advanced 22 places globally in the 2023 Statistical Performance Index. This achievement, he said, elevated the Kingdom’s international standing and enabled it to host major global statistical events such as the 6th UN World Data Forum. It also contributed to its election to the UN High-Level Group on Statistics for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.