A fresh national economic census is set to begin this week after more than a decade, promising to provide an updated picture of economic activities in the country.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) will start nationwide data collection on December 10 and continue until December 26.

The national statistical agency will collect information related to activities, manpower, resources and basic facilities of all types of economic units, according to a Bangladesh Bank circular that asked banks to provide information to the data collectors.

The data will provide a detailed picture of the country's economic condition, which will play an important role in building a new Bangladesh, the circular added.

SM Shakil Akhter, director of the economic census project at the BBS, said it was supposed to be carried out in 2023. However, the project was only approved in September 2023, which is why it is being initiated so late, he said.

He elaborated that data would be collected through a computer-assisted personal interviewing method, adding that there would be 25 questions focusing on three areas -- industry, services, and non-agriculture.

There will be 95,000 people out in the field working for this census, he said.

The mapping work has already been completed. According to that, there are 1.22 crore small, large and medium-sized businesses across the country, he said.

The BBS conducted the first economic census in 1986, the second in 2001-2003 and the third in 2013.

The census is usually carried out every 10 years and is a costly exercise as well.

This time around, the census project will cost the government Tk 579.52 crore.