This is a decisive moment for official statistical systems.
Deep cuts in development financing for statistics, legitimacy issues, artificial intelligence and other rapid technological changes, and rising expectations for more inclusive and participatory data are colliding with long-standing weaknesses in trust, capacity and data use. For many national statistical offices (NSOs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries, this convergence amounts to a systemic data crisis that threatens their relevance, credibility and sustainability. At the same time, these pressures create a rare opportunity to rethink how data systems are designed, governed and embedded in society.
