The SPI framework is designed to capture different aspects of national statistical capacity by employing most relevant and representative variables that are publicly available. The SPI can be used to gauge statistical performance of individual countries over time or cross-country comparisons of performance at a point in time.
The SPI aims to provide an objective, justifiable/verifiable assessment of the statistical performance of countries over time by using publicly available information from international agencies and country websites that were produced by national statistical systems. The SPI framework helps countries and development partners identify the strengths and weaknesses of national statistical systems and areas of potential improvements. It could also provide actionable guidance for national statistical systems in areas that may require further and deeper assessment. Key characteristics of the SPI are:
- Uses only publicly accessible data
- Transparent methodology
- Easily replicable
- Provides a long-time series to track progress in performance
- Captures outcomes and supporting elements
- Reflects the SDGs.
- Facilitates at-a-glance comparisons on a global scale
A recent paper by Cameron et al. (2019) provides the conceptual foundation for SPI in measuring the ability of NSS to produce high quality data to inform national and international policy decisions
Transforming source data into statistical outputs (indicators) and releasing them on a timely basis shows that the statistical systems are utilizing their capacity in data production. Reporting relevant data to specialized international agencies on time and getting them published in their respective databases demonstrates that statistical systems meet required quality standards and timeliness. Therefore, this dimension evaluates national statistical systems by reviewing the availability of country data for the most recent year in international databases. By looking at the data availability in international databases, it also makes the assessment cost-effective.
The selection of the indicators under the AKI dimension is based on the following principles:
- It should provide some assessment of national statistical performance, i.e. the indicators should be produced by countries;
- The availability of indicators should be verifiable, with established standards and methodologies in producing the statistics.
- It should help address the development concerns of countries, especially with SDGs. Nine indicators included in this category overlap to large extent with the Tier 1 SDG list that are conceptually clear, established methodology and standards are available and data regularly produced by countries;
These selected indicators cover key socio-economic and SDG indicators that have well established standards and methodology in the area of poverty, health, education, and economic development. It is assumed that if national statistical systems have capacity in the first two dimensions they should be able to produce these selected indicators.
The initial proposal for the AKI is below. The way the AKI index is scored is that countries are given a value of ‘1’ if the indicator is available for the country and ‘0’ otherwise. The total AKI score for the country is then the
| Indicator | Score 1 - Data is available once in three years, prior to reference year | Score 0 |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines/ availability of similar key indicators | Yes | No |
| Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) | Yes | No |
| Child immunization (proportion of one-year-old children immunized against measles) | Yes | No |
| Primary completion rate, both sexes (%) | Yes | No |
| Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%) | Yes | No |
| Proportion of population using at least basic drinking water services (%) | Yes | No |
| Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) | Yes | No |
| Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP | Yes | No |
| Gross capital formation (% of GDP) | Yes | No |
| GDP implicit price deflator (annual % growth) | Yes | No |
| Net trade in goods and services (BoP, current US$) | Yes | No |
| Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) | Yes | No |
Additionally, led by Hiroko, we have a list of SDG indicators here suggested by the WDI team based on the criteria above. Below are the recommendations by the WDI team.
| UNSD Indicator Code* | Target | Indicator | SPI candidates | Types of data | Notes for SPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C010201 | 1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions | 1.2.1 Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age | SI.POV.NAHC | HHS | For poverty, I think the latest version of the SPI made a sensible choice: I would suggest using whether a poverty headcount ratio at the national poverty line exists within three years. This headcount ratio is a key statistic for national development plans, is relevant for all LICs and MICs, is expected to be compiled periodically in the future, and reflects an NSO’s capability of conducting a household survey. The World Bank is the primary compiler of these headcount rates, so using our own databases makes sense. One challenge is that the series from the WDI the SPI uses (SI.POV.NAHC) only contains elements if the national poverty rates are comparable. If there is a break in the series, not all national poverty rates will be shown. An alternative is to use the SI.POV.NAHC.NC indicator from the Poverty and Equity database (https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/poverty-and-equity-database), which also contains national poverty estimates even when there is a break in the series. |
| C020101 | 2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round | 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment | SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS | Food balance sheet orignally based on admin data or surveys | Although FAO estimates the undenourished prevalence for all countries, the indicator is not applicable to high income countries. |
| C020201 | 2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons | 2.2.1 Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age | SH.STA.STNT.ZS | HHS | I do not highly recommend this indicator because the data come mostly from household surveys, which availability & quality is not a good indication of NSO’s capacity. Or it should at least be treated differently from admin data. The involvement of NSO in househould surveys must vary from survey to survey. (Emi) |
| C030101 | 3.1 By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births | 3.1.1 Maternal mortality ratio | SH.STA.MMRT.NE | HHS and Vital Registration | One can check whether the admin data are available, and/or used for the SDG estimation (if used, good quality) on WHO’s (Inter-agency’s) website at https://www.who.int/gho/maternal_health/countries/en/ |
| C030201 | 3.2 By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births | 3.2.1 Under‑5 mortality rate | SH.DYN.MORT | HHS and Vital Registration | One can check wheather the admin data are available, and/or used for the SDG estimation (if used, good quality) on Inter-agency’s website at https://childmortality.org/data |
| C030b01 | 3.b Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non‑communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all | 3.b.1 Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme | SH.IMM.MEAS | Admin records | One can check whether the admin data are available, and/or used (or close) for the SDG estimation (if used, good quality) on WHO’s website http://apps.who.int/immunization_monitoring/globalsummary/wucoveragecountrylist.html |
| C040101 | 4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes | 4.1.1 Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex | SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.ZS | Admin records | Gender Parity Index (enrollment), Goal 5 |
| C040202 | NA | 4.2.2 Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex | Gender Partiy Index (enrollment) | NA | NA |
| C060101 | 6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all | 6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services | SH.H2O.BASW.ZS | HHS, Admin records | NA |
| C060402 | NA | 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources | ER.H2O.FWTL.ZS | NA | NA |
| C070101 | 7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services | 7.1.1 Proportion of population with access to electricity | EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS | HHS | NA |
| C070201 | 7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | 7.2.1 Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption | EG.FEC.RNEW.ZSEG.ELC.RNEW.ZS | NA | NA |
| C080101 | 8.1 Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries | 8.1.1 Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita | NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG | SNA and POP | NA |
| C090201 | 9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries | 9.2.1 Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita | NV.IND.MANF.ZS | NA | NA |
| C090501 | 9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending | 9.5.1 Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP | GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS | R&D surveys conducted by the ministry responsible for S&T or its equivalent or its delegate under the authority of the NSO. | Innovation is now universally regarded as an engine of economic growth for both developing and developed countries, thus acting as an important driver for poverty alleviation. To set effective innovation policies, reliable indicators are needed to benchmark and monitor progress. |
| C100101 | 10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average | 10.1.1 Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population | SI.SPR.PCAP.ZG | HHS | NA |
| C110101 | 11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums | 11.1.1 Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing | SP.URB.GROW | NA | SP.URB.GROW is modelled or estimated by UN Population Division, therefore I don’t think it measures NSO’s capacity directly. (Emi) |
| C120301 | 12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses | 12.3.1 (a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index | Global food loss index | NA | Candidate for WDI |
| C140401 | 14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics | 14.4.1 Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels | ER.FSH.PROD.MT | NA | NA |
| C160901 | 16.9 By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration | 16.9.1 Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age | SP.REG.BRTH.ZS? | HHS | NA |
| C170401 | 17.4 Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress | 17.4.1 Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services | DT.TDS.DPPF.XP.ZS | NA | NA |
| C170801 | 17.8 Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology | 17.8.1 Proportion of individuals using the Internet | IT.NET.USER.ZS | Household statistics on ICT access and use are mainly produced by national statistical offices (NSOs) using traditional household surveys. | ICT statistics have been on the agenda of the international statistical community for many years and are receiving increasing attention due to the impact these technologies have on the economy and society in general. |
- Below we show the summary statistics of the AKI indicators
- These indicators have been converted to ‘0’ or ‘1’ indicators based on whether or not the indicator is available within a 3 year window of 2018
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## i See <https://tidyselect.r-lib.org/reference/faq-external-vector.html>.
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| id | name | mean | sd | p0 | p25 | p50 | p75 | p100 | complete | hist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SI.POV.NAHC | Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) | 0.20 | 0.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▂ |
| SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS | Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) | 0.76 | 0.43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▂▁▁▁▇ |
| SH.STA.STNT.ZS | Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5) | 0.18 | 0.38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▂ |
| SH.STA.MMRT.NE | Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) | 0.03 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▁ |
| SH.DYN.MORT | Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) | 0.89 | 0.31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| SH.IMM.MEAS | Immunization, measles (% of children ages 12-23 months) | 0.88 | 0.32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.ZS | Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) | 0.60 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▆▁▁▁▇ |
| SE.ENR.SECO.FM.ZS | School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) | 0.62 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▅▁▁▁▇ |
| SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS | Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) | 0.61 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▅▁▁▁▇ |
| SH.H2O.BASW.ZS | People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population) | 0.99 | 0.12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| ER.H2O.FWST.ZS | Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources | 0.03 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▁ |
| EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS | Access to electricity (% of population) | 0.99 | 0.10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS | Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▇▁▁ |
| NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG | GDP per capita growth (annual %) | 0.94 | 0.25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| NV.IND.MANF.ZS | Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) | 0.84 | 0.36 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▂▁▁▁▇ |
| SL.UEM.TOTL.NE.ZS | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) | 0.53 | 0.50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▇ |
| GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS | Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) | 0.46 | 0.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▇ |
| SI.SPR.PCAP.ZG | Annualized average growth rate in per capita real survey mean consumption or income, total population (%) | 0.36 | 0.48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▅ |
| SP.URB.GROW | Urban population growth (annual %) | 0.99 | 0.12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| ER.FSH.PROD.MT | Total fisheries production (metric tons) | 1.00 | 0.07 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
| SP.REG.BRTH.ZS | Completeness of birth registration (%) | 0.39 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▅ |
| DT.TDS.DPPF.XP.ZS | Debt service (PPG and IMF only, % of exports of goods, services and primary income) | 0.53 | 0.50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▇▁▁▁▇ |
| IT.NET.USER.ZS | Individuals using the Internet (% of population) | 0.96 | 0.20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 217 | ▁▁▁▁▇ |
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