NEW DELHI: The BRICS countries have agreed to deepen cooperation on official statistics, with a focus on digital dissemination, administrative data, artificial intelligence (AI) and reforms in national statistical systems, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting of heads of national statistical offices in Lucknow.
The two-day meeting, held on August 3-4 under India’s chairship, brought together statisticians from BRICS member countries to discuss ways to improve the quality, accessibility and comparability of official data at a time when governments are facing rising demand for high-frequency and granular statistics.
Under India’s BRICS chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the statistics track has been anchored around the theme “Quality Statistics as Driver of Change.”
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) said the agenda reflects India’s push for data quality, innovation, effective dissemination and people-centric statistical systems that can keep pace with technological change and support evidence-based, sustainable and inclusive development.
The ministry said robust statistics are increasingly central to modern BRICS policymaking, helping member countries track development, guide decisions and build mutual understanding.
The joint statement said the heads of the statistical offices agreed to continue dialogue and enhance cooperation among member countries, with deliberations focused on four priority areas: the use of digital platforms for data dissemination, reforms in national statistical systems to address the evolving data ecosystem, identifying common innovation areas for possible BRICS collaboration, and strengthening macroeconomic and sectoral statistics.
The officials also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening official statistics to respond to the opportunities and challenges posed by the changing data environment.
“We agreed to exchange best practices in survey modernisation, digital data collection, data dissemination, and data anonymisation, and to explore opportunities for collaborative pilot projects and technical cooperation in identified innovation areas,” the statement noted.
They also flagged the need to periodically update information on national statistical reforms, including the use of administrative and alternative data sources, artificial intelligence and capacity-building initiatives, to support knowledge exchange and collaboration among member countries.
Another priority will be a regular mechanism for sharing experience and building capacity around the implementation of the System of National Accounts 2025 (SNA 2025), which BRICS countries said would help ensure a smooth and coordinated transition.
Source: Business Standard
