On February 27, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Program for development of state statistics until 2023 developed by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine jointly with the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. The Program defines the strategic directions and tasks of the development of state statistics, as well as the expected results.

“State statistics need reforming. Our main goal is to provide the Ukrainian society with high-quality, unprejudiced and accessible statistical information that meets the modern needs. We must apply the world standards in the area of collection and analysis of statistical data”, said First Vice Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv.

The Program will be implemented by the State Statistics Service jointly with all interested public authorities during 2019-2023.

The Program for development of statistics envisages modernization of state statistics through the implementation of international standards and regulations of the EU and full transition to the process-oriented statistical information production system (GSBPM), as well as the use of information technologies (special software for submission and processing of statistical reporting, designers of electronic reporting forms, etc.)

Another important direction in reforming the state statistics will be ensuring the transparency and accessibility of statistical information. In particular, this means the creation of modern, user-friendly web-portal of the State Statistics Service and its mobile version, provision of wide access of users to micro-data (on employment, households status, etc.), activation of communications on the results of the activity of the State Statistics Service and data of its studies, as well as the increase of the level of statistical literacy of the society through relevant educational programs in the institutions of secondary and higher education, information in the media, and so on.

The Program envisages the reduction of the reporting burden on respondents providing statistical data for further analysis. This is possible due to the increase in the number of non-standard statistical observations (selected) and the introduction of simulation methods, the use of modern methods and technologies for data collection, the expansion of the use of administrative data, including at the regional level, the introduction of free reporting by respondents to the state statistics authorities in the electronic form.

At the same time, Stepan Kubiv emphasized: “An important task that we set in the Program is to effectively monitor the UN sustainable development goals until 2030. In the system of collecting and analyzing of statistical information, a mechanism for interaction between producers of statistical and administrative information necessary to ensure monitoring of sustainable development goals until 2030 at the national level will be created”.

The important innovations of the Program for development of statistics also include the launch of two new sample surveys of households: Income and Living Conditions Statistics (EU analogue – EU-SILC) and Household Budget Surveys (HBS), as well as modernization of national accounts calculation indicators, including indicators of GDP per purchasing power parity (PPP). This is necessary for harmonization and the possibility of comparing the physical volumes of gross domestic product by categories of the end use of the EU countries and candidates for EU membership.

An important component of the Program’s implementation is also the development of human capital and raising the level of professional competence of employees of state statistics authorities. In the nearest future, in particular, it is foreseen to harmonize the professional development programs for specialists in the area of statistics with the European standards, in particular, with the European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS), the improvement of the system of personnel professional development and language learning in the Council of Europe.