1. 2018 PRESS : FUNDING STATISTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN the ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

2. PRESS Overview

3. 2018 PRESS: Key trends 623 Million USD total commitments
The 2018 PRESS highlights the international community’s support to statistics in 2016.
623 Million USD
total commitments
0.33% of ODA for statistics
88% of funding from 10 donors
Asia-Pacific region received only 11% of commitments from , compared with other regions.
Support to statistics slightly increased in In 2016, developing countries around the world received commitments to statistical development of about USD 623 million. It marks a 5% increase from 2015; this led to a rise in the share of official development assistance (ODA) dedicated to statistics, from 0.30% in 2015 to 0.33% in This number is expected to increase with more projects being reported in the next round. However, the current level of commitments is still insufficient to meet the need of recipient countries and the implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan. With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda and emergence of philanthropic donors, more contributions are expected in the next few years.

4. Statistical funding: Asia-Pacific region2
Statistical funding: Asia-Pacific region

5. Commitments to statistics received by Asia-Pacific
Funding for statistical development in Asia-Pacific region declined in
Commitments to statistics received by Asia-Pacific
Support to statistics has remained stable globally but the share of Asia-Pacific region in global funding for statistical development has decreased during the period to 11% compared with the 24% share in Some large projects committed in 2013 are no longer captured in the current round of estimates specifically the Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey of Afghanistan (costing $47M) and the development of the Bangladesh Poverty Database (estimated $40M).
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

6. Top 5 recipient countries
in Asia-Pacific ( )
No Pacific country in top 5
The top 5 recipient countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Turkey, Palestinian Authority, Myanmar, Lebanon, Pakistan) received 38% of commitments. 
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

7. Environmental Statistics is still overlooked by donors
Commitments to statistics by area of statistical activities, Asia-Pacific
General statistical items and methodology received the most support by statistical area from
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

8. Diversified list of top statistics donors in Asia-Pacific
Top 5 donors (World Bank, Eurostat, Switzerland, Australia, Korea) contributed 58% of total commitments received by Asia Pacific, lowest among other regions. This indicates a trend towards diversifying of donors. With more philanthropic donors getting involved in statistical development, the commitments to Asia Pacific could rise in coming years.
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

9. Statistical funding: SIDS3
Statistical funding: SIDS

10. Commitments to SIDS remained stagnant over five years, in million USD
Commitments to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remain at a low level despite the SDGs’ focus on the environment and climate change.
Over the past three years, SIDS covered in PRESS received commitments worth approximately USD 33 million in total (see Figure 9). The expected rise in commitments following SDG implementation did not materialise in 2016.
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

11. Top 10 SIDS Recipients in 2014-2016
Only 8 SIDS received more than 1M USD in statistics funding ( )
Top 10 SIDS Recipients in
Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands – the only two Pacific SIDS that received more than USD 1 million of statistics funding between 2014 and 2016
Most SIDS are lagging behind in terms of building statistical infrastructure and developing statistical planning. Only two out of nine SIDS have their national strategy for development of statistics fully funded and under implementation.
The lack of resources in SIDS could be mitigated by growing interests in data and statistics of philanthropic foundations. In 2015, for example, the California-based Christensen Fund awarded a grant of USD to the National Statistics Office of Vanuatu to support its Melanesian Wellbeing Indicators project, as well as other Melanesian countries to complete pilot studies.
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

12. Top 10 Donors for SIDS
The commitments to SIDS are more concentrated in top donors than global donors Over 70% of aid to SIDS came from five major donors: European Commission/EUROSTAT, IMF, Australia, the World Bank and UNFPA.
The lack of resources in SIDS could be mitigated by growing interests in data and statistics of philanthropic foundations. In 2015, for example, the California-based Christensen Fund awarded a grant of USD to the National Statistics Office of Vanuatu to support its Melanesian Wellbeing Indicators project, as well as other Melanesian countries to complete pilot studies (OECD, 2018b)
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

13. Statistical funding: Gender4
Statistical funding: Gender

14. Share of projects with gender statistics component
Financing for gender statistics, 2016
Share of projects with gender statistics component
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics

15. Share of projects with gender statistics component
Financing for gender statistics, 2016
Share of projects with gender statistics component
Source: Partner Report on Support to Statistics