Counting on Statistics: How can national statistical offices and donors increase use?

The growing demand for official statistics—datasets produced by official government agencies—has not been met with a corresponding increase in the capacity of countries to deliver them. This report draws upon two perspectives to address the capacity gap: the primary producers of official statistics (national statistical offices) and an important domestic user group for these data (government officials) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). From national statistical offices (NSOs), we need to better understand the supply-side constraints that inhibit them from responding to demand. From government users of official statistics, we want to understand how NSOs can build their capacity in line with user demand. Together, these two perspectives can help answer the question: How can future efforts by domestic and international actors support NSOs to increase the use of official statistics by aligning their strategies with the needs of their government users?

Funding: This report was made possible through generous financial support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and as a collaboration between Open Data Watch, AidData at William & Mary, and PARIS21.