The Central Department of Statistics & Information (CDSI) has given its attention to the national income accounts, which has the priority in the field of statistical data collection. This concern is reflected in the history of this kind of statistics (national income accounts). In 1968, CDSI developed, as a first step, initial series about the estimations of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the industrial activity, GDP and national income. In 1970, CDSI presented its second report on the national income accounts. In 1973, CDSI published the fourth bulletin for national income accounts, which highlighted a group of national income accounts, where their estimations were collected according to the recommendations of national income accounts system of the UN for 1968. Then, CDSI had continued in publishing annual national accounts bulletins, which include the following tables:
1. GDP by economic activity at current prices.
2. Gross income based on factors of production by type of economic activity.
3. GDP by type of economic activity at constant prices.
4. Government final consumption expenditure by structure of cost and purpose at current prices.
5. Private final consumption expenditure in the domestic market by purpose of expenditure at current prices.
6. Fixed capital formation by type of capital goods at Current prices.
7. External transactions.
8. Relationships among totals of national accounts.
9. Gross national income.
10. Expenditure of GDP at current prices.
11. Consolidated national accounts.
The current and previous account tables were designed to give time series for several fiscal years. The process of preparing the national accounts variables of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia passes through different technical phases. In the first phase, preliminary prospects are prepared for the variables of the current fiscal year. They are usually, prepared before the end of the fiscal year and they are published in the Economic Statement attached to the Government’s general budget. In the second phase, the preliminary prospects are reviewed and developed in the form of estimations according to the available latest data before presenting in the form of reports. In the third phase, after developing the final and detailed data, especially that the national accounts depend on the final accounts, the preliminary estimations are reviewed for year of survey and the preparation of the detailed publication of national accounts of this year with revising data of the previous year.
Since the UN has approved in July 1993 the new system of national accounts of 1993, CDSI was keen to develop the steps necessary for applying this system. CDSI, represented by the National Income Statistics Department, has prepared a medium term plan for applying this system on three executive phases during the period from 1418/1419 A.H (1998 A.D) until 1425/1426 A.H (2005 A.D).
Experience of applying the "1993 National Accounts System" in K.S.A
In 2003, the CDSI's National Accounts Statistics Department published its first National Account Bulletin of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 1999 and 2000 A.D according to the UN 1993 new system of national accounts.
This bulletin included a set of current accounts in accordance with the rules in addition to the sequencing of capital account of the group of accounts, since the accumulation phase of these accounts represent the first phase of the implementation of the system in the light of available data, including accounts of:
* Account of production, which ends with the value-added balance.
* Account of generating the income which ends with the operating surplus balance.
* Account of the allocation of primary income, which ends with primary income balance.
* Account of secondary distribution of income, which ends with the disposable income balance.
* Account of the redistribution of income in kind, this ends with the revised disposable income balance.
* Account of the use of disposable income which ends with the balance of savings.
* Capital account (of the accumulation accounts), which ends with the net lending or borrowing.
These accounts were established for all organizational sectors recommended by the system on the macroeconomic level including the sector of the external world, and these sectors are: --
* Non-financial projects sector (S 11).
* Financial projects sector (S 12).
* General government sector (S 13).
* Family sector (including unorganized projects) (S 14).
* Sector of private non-profit bodies and families' serving (S 15).
* Sector of rest of the world (External world) (S 2).
Based on the results of surveys that were implemented and those which will be implemented in future according to the plan of implementing the surveys, the second stage of the stages of the application of "1993 National Accounts System" could be initiated while the remaining part of the accounts system will be applied, including the accounts of accumulation and budgets:
* Financial account.
* Account of other changes in the volume of assets.
* Account of re-evaluation.
* Opening and Closing Budgets.
In the third stage of the application of the "1993 National Accounts System", the tables of the supply, use, input-output and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) will be installed.
By ending this stage, the application of the rules and requirements of the system could be realized and in accordance to the drawn plan.
And in order to have a time series of the current accounts of the system, CDSI will continue in the preparation of its usual bulletin in accordance with the system in 1968 A.D to serve scholars, researchers and decision makers.
Based on this new bulletin, CDSI hopes to keep abreast of new developments that have taken place at the international level in the field of national accounts.