Promoting Economic Resilience in Yemen

3. Capacity for Economic Data Collection and Analysis

The EU-OECD Project on Promoting Economic Resilience in Yemen intends to enable key central level economic institutions to lead economic recovery and create conditions for private sector development.  High quality and reliable statistical databases are critical for establishing a diagnosis of the situation, informing the design of effective policies, and monitoring and measuring the implementation, impact and effectiveness of development policies.  

The Yemeni statistical system benefits from several inherent strengths that provide a foundation for its operations. Notably, the presence of statistical units across various ministries, government agencies, and at the governorate level ensures a widespread infrastructure for data collection and analysis. This decentralised network facilitates localised data gathering, which is crucial for comprehensive national statistics. Additionally, the Central Statistics Organisation (CSO) maintains ongoing relationships with several international partners and donors. These partnerships are vital for securing technical and financial support, enabling CSO to sustain its operations and enhance its statistical and technical capacities. 

Despite those strengths, the statistical system in Yemen faces significant challenges, hindering its effectiveness and leading to an almost complete cease in statistical production, analysis and dissemination during the current war. A major issue is the lack of co-ordination between different sectors, stemming from the weak role of CSO and a generally low statistical culture across institutions. This disjointed approach leads to inefficiencies and inconsistencies in data production and dissemination. Moreover, the sector suffers from insufficient financial and human resources, which are critical for maintaining statistical operations. The lack of advanced statistical infrastructure, particularly in information technology within many ministries, including CSO, further exacerbates these challenges. Additionally, the legal framework governing statistics is outdated and does not align with international standards, creating operational ambiguities. The roles and powers of statistical units are often unclear, with job instability and frequent administrative changes hindering continuity and effectiveness. Finally, there is a pervasive low awareness about the use of statistics for planning and decision making.

A unified and robust statistical framework is essential for effective policymaking, particularly in a country facing complex challenges like Yemen. The collaborative efforts between the OECD and the Yemeni institutions aim to develop a robust and reliable statistical infrastructure and make informed, evidence-based decisions during its economic recovery and beyond. 

Policy assessments were informed by workshops held by OECD/PARIS21 in collaboration with Yemeni institutions and stakeholders. A key workshop on data gap assessment, statistical planning, and coordination in a fragile context aimed to train 21 representatives from eight economic institutions. The workshops introduced the Advanced Data Planning Tool (ADAPT) to map priority indicators. The Statistics Task Force was established to engage stakeholders in the development of official statistics with a focus on economic data and statistics. The Statistics Task Force validated a Statistical Priority Action Plan (SPAP) to enhance co-ordination around statistical capacity development priorities. A validation workshop for the Statistical Priority Action Plan (SPAP) brought together 18 representatives from 11 ministries, departments, and agencies to discuss the plan and terms of reference of the Statistical Task Force. Moreover, capacity-building workshops were organized in collaboration with Tunisia’s National Statistics Council to bring together Yemeni stakeholders and development partners, highlighting best practices in national statistical system coordination. Finally, the Bridging Data for Impact: Strengthening Economic Statistics Collaboration for Better Policies workshop convened 20 representatives from Yemeni institutions, international partners, technical experts from OECD/PARIS21, and peer countries to map institutional roles, explore modernisation approaches, and define a concrete roadmap for a statistical reform, with peer learning sessions on economic statistics in fragile contexts.

Context and Overview  

The institutions responsible for official statistics are heavily impacted by the ongoing political context, which hinders their ability to collect, analyse, disseminate and communicate data in Yemen.  

The urgent need for financial and economic data has been a consistent issue, underscoring a critical gap in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of economic, financial, and social and demographic data. The institutions responsible for official statistics are heavily impacted by the disruptions that have plagued the country since 2015, further complicating their ability to disseminate and communicate data to users effectively. The current political turmoil and scarcity of financial resources in the country also complicate efforts to maintain and develop a cohesive and co-ordinated statistical system, as well as to ensure the sustainability of resources for statical work. 

The Yemen National Statistical System  

The Yemeni National Statistical System is decentralised. Statistical units are present across various Ministries, Departments and government Agencies (MDAs), and at the governorate level, which ensures a widespread infrastructure for data collection and analysis. They are in charge of collecting, analysing, and disseminating official data and statistics, along with the Central Bank of Yemen. According to the Statistical Master Plan 2006-2010, there were 481 staff at the governorates level, including 155 at Aden office. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is in charge of coordinating the NSS (Chandler D.R. and Palan V.T., 2007[25]).  

Besides the NSS institutions, other entities may be involved in collecting, analysing and disseminating data. In Yemen, these include humanitarian and development agencies such as UNDP, World Bank, UNICEF, Islamic Development Bank and international institutions with activities in the country. 

The Central Statistical Organisation 

The CSO was established in May 1990 and its organisational structure reformed in 2003. The Law No. 28 of 1995 on statistics, which established the Yemeni statistical legislation framework, outlines the structure and responsibilities of the CSO, along with the ones of the statistical units and departments within various ministries and government agencies. The CSO is under the umbrella of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. It is tasked with ensuring uniformity in statistical methods and consistency in data collection, analysis and dissemination across governmental bodies, promoting a cohesive and standardised statistical environment. It has the responsibility for approving statistical information produced by others after checking its reliability before its dissemination. This gives the CSO the role of coordination of the NSS in the country.  

A CSO Council has been established, reuniting around the Chairman the highest-level executives of the institution. The Council provides recommendations to the Chairman in relation with the annual workplan, its evaluation, the budget of the institution, the training programme, etc. Governorate Offices contribute to the implementation of the survey planning, the preparation of the Statistical Bulletin at the governorate level, among other mandates.  

The CSO includes various General Departments. One of them prepares the National and the Balance of Payments Accounts (System of National Accounts, 1993[26]). The General Department of Commodity Statistics includes various departments: agriculture and fisheries statistics; industrial and energy statistics; environmental statistics; building and construction statistics. The General Department of Publication and Dissemination implemented a website and data communications. The General Department of Trade Statistics includes a price department that produces consumer price index at national and governorate levels.  

The situation at the CSO Aden is currently highly precarious in terms of activities and of existing capacities. According to 2021 OECD’s Needs Assessment and Stakeholder Mapping, it stopped conducting key statistical activities since 2015 including the production of national accounts statistics. The main limitations to the production of data are linked to three major issues: 

• The lack of budget dedicated to statistical activities, the low salaries, the high costs of inputs, and, more generally, the lack of incentive/motivation system. This is a serious obstacle to the mobilisation of the staff. 

• Insufficient ICT equipment and means of transportation.  

• Lack of staff and training needs in key areas including the use of new technology, production and use of new data sources, survey design, upgrade of the SNA (1993-2008), website and data portal, and gender statistics. In 2021, The CSO Aden benefitted from 153 staff, among which 81 were statisticians, 14 economists and 4 demographers. However, this was insufficient to meet the capacity needs of the NSS.  

The CSO has received a considerable amount of technical assistance from a number of international donors (UN organisations, Japan, USA, Arab league, Arab Institute for Training and Statistical Research, Germany, UK, Netherlands, to mention a few) for particular data collection initiatives (Censuses, surveys), general training and modest amount of equipment. These partnerships are vital for securing technical and financial support, enabling CSO to sustain its operations and enhance its statistical and technical capacities. 

The Netherlands helped building a fully equipped training facility, including a computer network and printing facilities. Extensive training took place.  

UNFPA is a major partner since 2019. The UN Agency participated in the rehabilitation of the CSO premises, provided furniture for offices and training facilities. A training component included 60 beneficiaries in 2019-2020 (GIS, SPSS, Sampling techniques, etc.).  

Overall, the statistical activities performed at the Aden CSO are presently very limited, and the capacities are inadequate. The main needs in terms of capacities refer to ICT equipment, consumables, transportation, as well as financial and human resources. 

Other data and information sources 

Besides the CSO, three other key data and information sources play a role: The Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and the MDAs.  

CBY-Aden 

The CBY has a mandate to produce and disseminate official data regarding monetary, banking and exchange rate issues. It has also the responsibility to prepare the Balance of Payments. According to the CBY-Aden, the preparation of the balance of payments and of the international investment position of the country is discontinued since 2018. It benefitted from technical assistance from the IMF in order to train the staff of its General Direction of Research and Statistics in Balance of Payments preparation. 

The capacities available at the General Direction of Research and Statistics need to be strengthened, but this is not a major concern. The remuneration strategy of the CBY seems adequate. However, the CBY-Aden operates under limited capacity since the decision taken by the President of the IRG in September 2016 to move the head office of the Central Bank from Sana’a to Aden. The CBY-Aden has expressed the need for new staff and a server to backup data and statistics.  

Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) 

Various Yemeni Ministries and Institutions are mentioned as sources of official data and statistics, even if the present context is a major source of difficulties for data collection and dissemination. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health produce administrative data at the governorate level on a yearly basis. The Ministry of Finance produces information on the incomes and expenditures of the government and the Ministry of Trade and Industry on imports and exports.

According to the CSO Aden, statistical units in the line Ministries face significant challenges preventing them to produce needed data and statistics. As an example, when consulted in 2021 as part the OECD’s Needs Assessment and Stakeholder Mapping, the Ministry of Trade and Industry had mentioned the serious limitations of the process of collecting data on imports and exports, key inputs for the preparation of the balance of payments, trade balance and national accounts. This is due to the lack of coordination and collaboration between the Customs Authority and the Ministry of Trade and Industry in terms of trade data sharing, as well as the lack of statistical culture within the Authority. The latter does not possess an electronic registration system. The importers intentionally hide the data and some goods are smuggled in and most exporters do not register. When they do register, “they reveal the least amount of information”, which highlights the lack of transparency and control. The Ministry had also mentioned the lack of access to oil exports data and the incompleteness of data on agriculture and fisheries exports.  

Current Challenges

The statistical system in Yemen faces significant challenges, leading to an almost complete cease in statistical production and analysis during the current war. 

Substantial data gaps in Economic statistics, particularly in terms of timeliness and accuracy 

The assessment carried out by PARIS21 revealed substantial data gaps, particularly in the timeliness and accuracy of national account statistics and foreign trade indicators. Despite the presence of some statistical outputs, such as consumer price indices and trade statistics, the data were often outdated or incomplete, and discrepancies were found between reported revenues at the local and central levels. The lack of recent and comprehensive household consumption and expenditure data further impacted the reliability of critical indicators like the consumption price index and national accounts statistics. These data gaps prevent MDAs from informing planning and donor negotiations. The Ministry of Finance’s budget planning, for instance, relies heavily on estimates due to the unavailability of updated household expenditure data.  

The assessment also underscored deficiencies in labour market indicators, demographic data, and other socio-economic variables, illuminating the inadequacies of Yemen's current statistical system. Moreover, during the workshop organised in July 2025, the Central Bank highlighted the lack of regular financial flows data and inconsistency in external trade figures coming from customs, banks, and port authorities.  

To bridge these gaps, the strengthening of CSO and enhanced collaboration among various data producers in the national statistical system are deemed essential. 

Outdated and incomplete legislative framework governing statistics  

The legislative framework governing statistics in Yemen presents significant gaps. Specifically, Law No. 28 of 1995 does not define the concept of a national statistical system nor does it delineate its components. The division of roles and powers between the statistical units is unclearly defined. Yemeni representatives also highlighted the absence of a comprehensive legal framework for data sharing and a lack of formalised protocols between institutions. These omissions contrast with statistical legislation in many other countries, where the national statistical system is explicitly defined, and the roles of various data producers, including significant entities like the central bank, are clearly articulated. The lack of such definitions in Yemeni law can lead to ambiguities and overlaps in data production and reporting responsibilities, potentially compromising the comprehensiveness and reliability of data and statistics. It also results in job instability and frequent administrative changes hindering continuity and effectiveness.  

Furthermore, the existing law falls short in addressing the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, such as the scientific and professional independence of CSO and its personnel. This independence is crucial for maintaining the integrity and credibility of statistical outputs, free from political or external influence. The absence of explicit legal provisions guaranteeing this independence may undermine public trust in data and statistics produced. Furthermore, the lack of an assessment mechanism of staff prevents accountability from being guaranteed. 

Lack of human and financial capacity  

Despite efforts and resilience by the CSO to maintain some level of activity through administrative sources and support from international organisations such as the World Food Program, UNICEF, IMF, World Bank, etc. capacity issues persist, hindering the country’s ability to conduct robust statistical operations.  

The statistical system suffers from a critical shortage of specialised and trained human resources, potentially crippling its capacity to produce high-quality data. The sector is facing a looming human resource crisis due to impending retirements of experienced statistical staff and the harsh living and security conditions that hinder staff mobility and sustained office presence.  

Financial constraints further cripple the statistical system. The budget is barely covering operational costs such as wages, office rent, transportation, and basic utilities, leaving statistical activities dependent on sporadic international funding. Resources to acquire, maintain and replace IT hardware and software are insufficient. Low and unsustainable salaries for statistical personnel result in high turnover and difficulty in retaining and motivating skilled staff. 

Moreover, the CSO and many ministries face a significant lack of basic and advanced statistical infrastructure such as updated statistical software, computers, databases, and sampling frames, which are crucial for conducting statistical work effectively. Moreover, most ministries rely on Excel spreadsheets without central data platforms. This shortage is worsened by unreliable internet and electricity access, making it difficult to collect and process data.   

Stark disparities in capabilities among different institutions and governorates further exacerbates the lack of human and financial resources as well as statistical infrastructures. The CSO in Aden, for example, has relatively more employees and a better capacity to manage statistical activities even though this workforce is still limited and in dire need of further skill development. In contrast, ministries and governorates lag far behind, creating a fragmented and inefficient national statistical system. 

Uncoordinated statistical system resulting from the weak role of the CSO and low statistical culture across institutions  

Another major issue is the lack of co-ordination among the national statistical system. This first results from the weak role of the CSO, which faces difficulties in ensuring the supervision and coordination of the statistical units due to capacity constraints. It can also be explained by the lack of statistical culture across government institutions. Various statistical units are unaccustomed to engaging in systematic statistical activities and to using statistics for planning and decision-making. 

The resulting absence of collaboration and coordination between institutions in the NSS, including governorates, leads to overlaps and inconsistencies in data production and dissemination, duplicated efforts and wasted resources, further undermining the efficiency of the system.  

Policy Priorities  

Developing a robust and unified statistical system that can support evidence-based decision-making and policy development, and inform the reconstruction efforts in Yemen requires efforts in three areas:  

• Collecting and analysing priority data to evaluate Yemen’s current socio-economic situation and support decision makers 

• Building capacity towards a strong and unified national statistical system 

• Fostering better co-ordination and governance of the NSS through the CSO  

Collecting and analysing priority data to evaluate Yemen’s current socio-economic situation and support decision makers 

During the reconstruction process, the NSS should focus on collecting and analysing priority data, notably national accounts statistics. High quality data provided by the NSS, including coverage, timeliness, and dissemination to all stakeholders, will be crucial in building the legitimacy of the Statistical System and securing support from the political decision makers and international partners. Budget planning and donor negotiations will also be essential. The following measures could help improve the collection and analysis of priority data:  

Aligning data production to national and global development strategies 

Official statistics should support development strategies and be guided by national priorities, planning and budgeting needs, and SDG data demands. A realistic annual statistical action plan should be updated based on regular data gap analyses. 

Supporting the implementation of the Central Statistical Organisation’s (CSO) strategic Plan  

This will allow addressing both national data priorities and global reporting requirements, in particular economic statistics. Emerging sectors, such as gender, climate change, innovation and digitalization, should be mainstreamed into the national data collection, dissemination and communication, and reporting frameworks to ensure inclusive data coverage. 

Creating Sector Technical Working Groups (STWGs) 

These groups should hold regular meetings to address priority issues, ensuring that all sectors are adequately represented, and their data needs are met. Regular collaboration among various sectors will help identify gaps in data and formulate strategies to fill them.  

Building capacity towards a strong and unified statistical system  

Developing capacity in specific subject-matter areas through training and peer-learning initiatives  

This involves collaboration with other countries in the region and relevant development partners. Key areas for training and peer learning identified include: 

• National accounts statistics: Strengthening the capability to compile, analyse and disseminate quality national accounts statistics is critical for understanding the economic performance of the country. 

• Monetary and financial statistics: Enhancing the collection and analysis of data related to monetary and financial sectors to inform economic policy. 

• Price indices: Developing robust methodologies for compiling price indices, which are essential for inflation measurement and economic planning. 

• External trade statistics: Improving the collection and analysis of trade data to understand trade dynamics and inform trade policy. 

• Economic surveys and business registers: Conducting comprehensive economic surveys and maintaining up-to-date business registers to provide reliable data on the business environment. 

Modernising the statistical infrastructure and exploring non-traditional data sources for official statistics 

This entails upgrading and modernising the statistical systems for data collection, processing, analysis, sharing, and dissemination. Embracing the use of big data, satellite imagery and other innovative data sources, like Citizen Generated Data, will enhance data collection, especially in emergencies, and close data gap. Flexibility and innovation will be key, particularly in areas like gender data, climate change data, child rights, which require special focus.  

Strengthening data use engagement for effective policymaking 

This can be achieved through targeted training programmes that enhance the capacity of policymakers to access, interpret, and use data effectively in the decision-making process. The training programmes should focus on the following areas: 

• Awareness raising on the importance of using data and statistics for effective planning and crisis management 

• Statistical leadership and management will help leaders within the statistical system to lead, manage statistical institutions, and communicate data findings more effectively to stakeholders and the public.  

• Data visualisation and communication will enable the creation of intuitive and accessible data visualisations that non-experts can easily understand, thereby improving the data's overall impact on better lives, and facilitating better data uptake and decision making. 

Advocating for political support and adequate funding for development data and statistics 

Official statistics are key instruments in the development process. They are essential to implement an evidence-based approach, assess the baseline, define targets and monitor and evaluate economic and social development. Quality data during reconstruction will help build legitimacy and mobilise resources. Garnering political support and sustainable funding is needed to maintain statistical operations amidst economic uncertainties and develop official statistics. This involves diversifying funding sources, establishing mechanisms and arrangements to ensure the continuity of statistical funding, advocating for national budget allocations, and leveraging co-ordinated support to data and statistics from international and regional partners. Communicating on the role of statistics during the reconstruction period, alongside building a renovated NSS, will also contribute to sensitise policymakers and ease the mobilisation of effective funding for official statistics. 

Fostering better co-ordination and governance of the NSS through the CSO  

Setting up new legal framework 

Revising the Statistics Law No. 28 of 1995 is necessary to address contemporary issues related to data governance. This revision should focus on including data users in the NSS and enhancing the co-ordination of the national data ecosystem. 

• The role of data users 

The image and legitimacy of the NSS require a legal framework responding to the international norms. One of the key issues is related to the role of the users of official statistics in the governance of the NSS. The NSS should be demand-driven and participative. A new Statistical Act should be prepared, including the participation of representatives of the users in the various bodies managing the NSS. The governance should guarantee the independence and transparency of the institutions leading the NSS. The NSS should be accountable to the users. During the reconstruction period, representatives extended to the national data ecosystem (private sector, academia, civil society, media) should be associated to the decision process regarding official statistics.  

• Coordination of the NSS 

The present NSS is currently fragmented and decentralised in Yemen. Beyond the major issue linked to the existence of two independent statistical systems, one located at Sana’a, and the other one, part of the IRG, at Aden, the other providers of official data (MDAs) act independently with no coordination. There is a strong need to set up a coordinated NSS under the umbrella of a common structure, which would act as an institutional leader. During the reconstruction process, the main components of the NSS (CSO, CBY, MDAs) should collaborate and set up a coordinated distribution of the tasks, under the umbrella of the Statistics Task Force at the country level. This involves expanding and strengthening the operational capabilities of the STO.  

These legal reforms will provide a solid foundation for a more resilient and effective national statistical system. It will also be an opportunity to upgrade the legitimacy and trust of official statistics and to mobilise funds on a sustainable basis in order to finance an ambitious strategy for official statistics in Yemen.