Nearly five years after the adoption of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data, this global survey of national statistical offices (NSOs), conducted by the World Bank’s Development Data Group, the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNSD) and the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21), paints a mixed picture of progress.

The survey’s results reveal that despite gradual improvements, the transformative change in national statistical capacities proposed in the Global Action Plan has yet to be realized, particularly in low- and middle-income economies. However, NSOs have continued to function despite the enormous strain the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on them, attesting to their strength and resilience.

The survey was conducted jointly online in August and September 2021. NSOs from 101 countries participated, providing insights to policymakers and international partners on their efforts to implement, monitor, and finance the Global Action Plan.