So they are useful to donors. But statistics are of course even more essential for the developing countries themselves. Without valid statistics, no serious policy objectives can be achieved, especially those which require a strong political will from the national authorities. This is for example true for basic statistics on population size. Without an adequate census, a country cannot plan its investment in the health sector or organise elections properly.
Good statistics are hard to get.
They cannot be imported when local capacity is lacking. They are ineffective without ownership of the developing countries. Developing countries must be able to recognise the realities of their countries in statistics. This is a central aspect of ownership. The Annual World Bank report and all the other global descriptions of the world we live in do not give us data that are aggregated on the basis of genuine statistics.