Countries by Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100)

Ranking 2024

Analysis

The SPI Pillar 3 data products score measures how well a country produces relevant statistical outputs, primarily those related to the Sustainable Development Goals. According to the source definition, 'the data products overall score is a composite score measuring whether the country is able to produce relevant indicators, primarily related to SDGs. The data products (internal process) pillar is segmented by four topics and organized into (i) social, (ii) economic, (iii) environmental, and (iv) institutional dimensions using the typology of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).' Scores are expressed on a 0-to-100 absolute scale where higher values indicate better performance. The dataset covers 215 countries for the 2024 reference year, with 100% of data points classified as official and no extreme outliers identified at the 3-standard-deviation threshold. The score range spans 12.78 to 92.22, a spread of nearly 622%.

The top of the ranking is led by Mexico (rank 1, 92.22), Belgium (rank 2, 91.12), and Portugal (rank 3, 90.31). Costa Rica (rank 4, 89.78) and Hungary (rank 5, 89.70) follow closely, placing ahead of several larger European economies. Spain (rank 6, 89.68), Lithuania (rank 7, 89.31), Sweden (rank 8, 89.18), Austria (rank 9, 89.06), and France and Italy (both rank 10, 88.81) round out the top ten. The United States ranks 12th at 88.37. High scores across this group reflect consistent production of statistical outputs across all four SDG-linked dimensions measured by the pillar.

The middle of the ranking includes a mix of developing and transition economies. Tanzania ranks 45th at 81.92, ahead of several European Union members such as the Slovak Republic (rank 49, 81.56) and Finland (rank 49, 81.56). Brazil, often considered a statistical powerhouse, ranks only 97th at 74.90, below Nigeria (rank 98, 74.86) and Rwanda (rank 99, 74.55). At the lower end, territories and small jurisdictions dominate: Isle of Man (rank 215, 12.78), St. Martin French part (rank 214, 14.17), American Samoa (rank 213, 15.87), and Northern Mariana Islands (rank 212, 18.65) all score well below 20. Singapore, often associated with administrative efficiency, ranks only 133rd at 67.32, which is a notable placement relative to its regional peers.

This metric has several limitations specific to its construction. It measures the production of SDG-related statistical outputs but does not assess the underlying quality, accuracy, or timeliness of individual data series. Territories and dependent jurisdictions, which account for many of the lowest-ranked entries, may not maintain independent national statistical offices, which structurally limits their scores. The average year-over-year change of 7.6% suggests scores can shift meaningfully between periods, so rankings may not reflect stable long-term capacity. Countries experiencing conflict or institutional disruption may still report some indicators while broader statistical capacity is constrained, which the composite score may not fully capture.

Methodology

The metric is the Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) Pillar 3 data products score, sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators under indicator code IQ.SPI.PIL3. The data year is 2024. According to the source definition, 'the data products overall score is a composite score measuring whether the country is able to produce relevant indicators, primarily related to SDGs. The data products (internal process) pillar is segmented by four topics and organized into (i) social, (ii) economic, (iii) environmental, and (iv) institutional dimensions using the typology of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).' Scores are expressed on an absolute 0-to-100 scale where higher values indicate better performance. The dataset covers 215 countries, all with data from the last seven years (100% recency). All 215 data points are classified as official sources, meeting and exceeding the 70% quality threshold. No extreme outliers were detected at the 3-standard-deviation level. The score range is 12.78 to 92.22, representing a 621.9% spread. Average year-over-year change is 7.6%, well below the 50% volatility threshold. The metric does not assess data quality or timeliness of underlying series, and low scores for territories may reflect the absence of independent national statistical systems rather than statistical capacity per se.

Sources

• World Bank