New penalties from the General Authority for Statistics: fines of up to 500,000 riyals

In a move aimed at strengthening data governance and ensuring the accuracy of national data, the General Authority for Statistics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has approved a comprehensive and detailed schedule classifying violations and penalties for breaching the Statistics Law and its implementing regulations. The new regulations include firm measures such as fines of up to half a million riyals, in addition to administrative penalties that can include suspension or revocation of licenses, all to guarantee a reliable and transparent statistical environment.

The context of the decision and the importance of data in Vision 2030

This regulatory move comes at a time when the Kingdom is undergoing a massive digital and economic transformation as part of Saudi Vision 2030. Accurate statistical data is considered the “new oil” and the cornerstone upon which decision-makers build development plans and major projects. The accuracy of statistical data is a crucial factor in attracting foreign investment and improving the Kingdom’s ranking in international indicators, making the protection of this system from manipulation or inaccuracy a pressing national necessity, not merely a routine procedure.

Details of violations and financial penalties

The authority based its new classification on Article 17 of the Statistics Law, which empowers specialized committees comprising legal and statistical experts to review violations. The violations were divided into several categories:

• Licensing violations: The regulations classify practicing statistical work commercially without a license, or continuing to do so after its cancellation, as a "serious" violation punishable by a fine ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 riyals. If false data is submitted to obtain a license, it will be immediately revoked, and the maximum fine will be imposed.
• Increased penalty for repeat offenses: The regulations stipulate doubling the fine in case of repeated violations (recidivism), while also prohibiting the offender from applying for a new license for a period of three years.

Privacy protection and identity theft prevention

The new regulations place great emphasis on the privacy of individuals and institutions, considering the disclosure of confidential statistical data or its misuse a red line punishable by a fine of up to 500,000 riyals. The system also addresses the phenomenon of impersonating statistics employees, deeming it a serious crime warranting the maximum penalty to protect society from fraud.

Community cooperation and grievance rights

To ensure the smooth operation of the fieldwork, the regulations imposed fines on private establishments that refuse to provide data (up to 100,000 riyals), and fines on individuals who refuse (from 500 to 5,000 riyals). Obstructing the work of census workers was also criminalized, with fines of up to 100,000 riyals.

In order to consolidate the principles of justice and transparency, the system guarantees the right to appeal to the Administrative Court within 60 days for anyone against whom a penalty decision has been issued, thus ensuring a balance between enforcing the system and preserving rights.