Building statistical capacity
For more than three decades, Statistics Denmark has contributed to statistical capacity building in partner countries around the world. We work closely with national statistical institutions and other relevant authorities, tailoring our cooperation to national needs and conditions while supporting compliance with international statistical standards.
Why statistics are important
Reliable and accessible statistics are essential for understanding a country’s social, economic and environmental conditions and for improving the lives and opportunities of its citizens.
Official statistics support the planning, governance and development of societies. They provide decision-makers with evidence for developing and monitoring policies, enable citizens to form informed opinions and hold public authorities accountable, help businesses make sound decisions, and allow researchers to analyse societal developments.
Meeting national and international statistical needs
National statistical institutions play a central role in producing and coordinating official statistics. To fulfil this role, they must be professionally independent and have the institutional capacity and resources required to produce impartial, relevant, reliable, timely and comparable statistics of high quality.
National statistical systems must respond to domestic information needs while also contributing to international reporting and monitoring, including the Sustainable Development Goals. This requires capable institutions, qualified staff, sustainable financing and effective cooperation across government.
International cooperation
Our cooperation is based on close and equal partnerships with national statistical institutions and other relevant public authorities. Activities are designed jointly and adapted to the partner country’s needs, priorities and institutional framework. This strengthens local ownership and increases the likelihood of sustainable results.
Our approach emphasises peer-to-peer cooperation, knowledge sharing and practical advice. Experts from Statistics Denmark share methods and experience from their daily work with colleagues in partner institutions. This creates a professional dialogue based on shared challenges and mutual learning.
Our objective is to support lasting institutional and technical improvements that partner institutions can sustain and further develop after the cooperation has ended.
Our expertise
Statistics Denmark supports capacity development throughout the statistical production process - from data collection and processing to analysis, dissemination and dialogue with users.
Our areas of expertise include:
- economic, social and business statistics
- national accounts and economic modelling
- environmental-economic accounts and statistics supporting the green transition
- administrative data and data integration
- digitalisation, data governance and statistical infrastructure
- quality management, metadata and documentation
- survey design and modernisation of data collection
- dissemination, open data and user engagement
- statistical legislation, strategy and institutional development
- coordination of national statistical systems.
Statistics Denmark has extensive experience from cooperation with partner institutions in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Financing
Our current cooperation projects in Ghana, Morocco, Uganda and Vietnam are financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) programme.
Strategic Sector Cooperation establishes long-term partnerships between Danish public authorities and their counterparts in selected partner countries. The programme aims to strengthen public institutions, support sustainable development and the green transition, and contribute to closer bilateral relations.
Statistics Denmark has previously implemented projects financed by the European Union - primarily through its Twinning programme and EU grants - as well as projects financed by the World Bank and other development partners.
All projects are developed in close cooperation with the partner institutions and the funding organisation to ensure that they respond to national priorities and create sustainable results.