NCSI unveils AI-Powered household income, expenditure survey

The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) on Sunday announced the results of its AI-powered Household Income and Expenditure Survey, describing the project as a national achievement and the first of its kind globally. The project is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of official statistics while keeping pace with modern global trends in statistical development. Dr Khalifa bin Abdullah Al Barwani, CEO of the NCSI, said the project represents a qualitative shift in the production of official statistics in Oman. “By employing artificial intelligence technologies, the project enhances the efficiency and sustainability of producing statistical indicators and improves the use of resources, while adhering to the highest standards of quality, accuracy and statistical reliability,” he said. Al Barwani added that the transformation saves the time, effort and resources previously required by traditional methods. The project also supports economic policymaking and decision-making by providing comprehensive data on household consumption expenditure, its patterns and its relationship with demographic variables. The survey provides the relative weights and importance of expenditure items needed to calculate the Consumer Price Index and measure inflation, in addition to accurate and comprehensive data on living conditions and information required for the System of National Accounts. [...]