Most national statistical offices (NSOs) conduct a population and housing census (PHC) once every 10 years. In addition, they are responsible for doing several demographic and other household-based surveys in the interim to gather various kinds of data and measure change over time for their countries. These surveys need a well-defined sampling frame as a basis for sample selection (United Nations Statistics Division, 2017, 2021). Without a robust sampling frame, survey results would not be representative of the population.

• This technical note is available in English and Arabic.