The World Bank recently released the results of the 2022 Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI), a framework that assesses the maturity of national statistical systems. It measures a country's statistical performance around five pillars: data use, data services, data products, data sources, and data infrastructure.  

Since monitoring began in 2016, the Philippines maintained its upward momentum achieving an overall score of 83.38 out of 100 points in 2022.

The annual score reveals a generally positive trend for the Philippines. The country particularly shined in Pillar 1: Data Use, with an excellent score indicating widespread data adoption across various sectors. Strong performances were also seen in Pillar 2: Data Services (90.63) and Pillar 3: Data Products (89.81).

However, a slight decline in the overall score from 2021 to 2022 was observed. While Pillar 4: Data Sources saw a 1.28-point improvement, it was not enough to offset the 3.13-point dip in Pillar 2: Data Services. Pillar 5: Data Infrastructure, was identified as an area for further development. Investing in this area can significantly boost the overall country score in the future.

Despite this, the country kept its spot as one of ASEAN’s most robust statistical systems. In 2022, the Philippines ranked second in the region, with Singapore leading with an overall score of 86.56 points.

Comparing further the country’s overall score against its income group, the Philippines surpassed the 62.6 average score of the lower middle-income countries.

The World Bank's SPI results offer the Philippines a strategic roadmap to solidify its leadership in regional statistics. By leveraging existing strengths, particularly in data use, and addressing areas for improvement, like data infrastructure, the Philippines can further enhance its statistical system for stakeholders.

More information about SPI can be accessed through its webpage:
https://stacybri.github.io/SPI_country_pages/country_reports/reports/Philippines.html

- Office of the National Statistician-International Cooperation Unit