**Table 1: Comparing SCIs with other statistical capacity measurement tools**

|Tools<sup>19</sup><br>Criteria|PARIS21|UNECE|FAO|UNECA|US Census Bureau|WB|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Country-level data|No|Yes|No<sup>20</sup>|Yes|No|Yes|
|Countries<br>covered|NA.|10 (ECA countries)|NA.|43|NA.|146|
|Time covered|NA.|One year|NA.|NA.|NA.|2004-2019|
|Designed data<br>collection method|Primary data collection|Primary data collection|Primary data collection|Primary data collection|Primary data collection|Secondary data collection|
|Selected indicators<br>|||||||
|Number of<br>indicators|16 (quantitative); 18<br>(qualitative)|5 broad categories, 40-<br>50 specific aspects<sup>21</sup>|24 sub-categories|42 variables|110|25|
|Pillars covered|System-wide indicators;<br>agency-related<br>indicators; data-related<br>indicators.|Legal Basis; National<br>Statistical System;<br>Statistics Authority;<br>Data Sources and<br>Processing Statistical<br>Domains.|Institutional<br>infrastructure;<br>Resources; Statistical<br>methods and practices;<br>Availability of statistical<br>information; Critical<br>constraints|Functioning of the<br>National Statistical<br>Systems; Statistical<br>infrastructure; Data<br>dissemination; Human<br>capital development;<br>Funding|Institutional capacity;<br>Planning and management;<br>Mapping; Sampling;<br>Questionnaire content and<br>testing|Revised SCIs:<br>Methodology, standards and<br>classification; Censuses and Surveys;<br>Dissemination Practices and<br>Openness; Availability of Key<br>Indicators|
|Operational relevance|• Useful both for<br>national management<br>and international<br>comparison;<br>• More useful to<br>countries that are<br>“statistically<br>challenged”.<br>• Facilitate coordination<br>among the<br>organizations involved<br>in technical assistance.|• Recommendations<br>from the reports could<br>be incorporated into<br>statistical capacity-<br>building programs and<br>strategies;<br>• These strategies are<br>then made operational<br>through annual<br>statistical programs of<br>work and implemented<br>by the beneficiary<br>countries.|• CAQ can be used to<br>create country profiles<br>and group countries<br>into quartiles or to<br>identify priority<br>interventions that<br>could be implemented<br>at the regional level.<br>• The in-depth<br>assessment will further<br>provide insights on<br>agricultural and rural<br>statistics.|• Support the monitoring<br>and evaluation of<br>RRSF identify for each<br>African country<br>weaknesses and<br>strengths in order to<br>support interventions;<br>• Provide a general idea<br>of the performance of<br>African countries’<br>statistical systems.|• Aid NSOs in identifying<br>areas of improvement;<br>• Assist NSOs and donors to<br>justify the need for funding<br>for training;<br>• Provide a measure of the<br>impact of capacity building<br>activities by being<br>administered at two points<br>in time, before and after.|• Provide an assessment of country<br>statistical capacity over time in a cost-<br>effective, sustainable way;<br>• Provide guidance to the WB teams in<br>assessing the progress and<br>sustainability of the Bank supported<br>projects;<br>• Inform Systematic Country<br>Diagnostics;<br>• Provide a monitoring tool for<br>countries’ SDGs data production<br>capacity.|

**Sources** : Adapted with modifications from Cameron et al. ( _2021_ ).

19 Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21): Statistical Capacity Building Indicators; United Nations Economic Commission for Europe: Global Assessment; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Country Capacity Indicators; United Nations Economic Commission for Africa: African Statistical Development Index; US Census Bureau: Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity, World Bank: Statistical Capacity Indicator.

20 The pilot study was conducted in Asia Pacific countries in 2012. In-depth country assessment will be carried out, following the established guidelines.

21 Referred to the most recent GA report on National Statistical System of Mongolia. No specific indicators were referred to, but the report focused on assessing different specific areas of the Mongolian statistical system.

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