Big data is more and more successfully used by many national statistical offices as alternative to traditional survey data. The United Nations Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Sciences for Official Statistics – UNCEBD registered at least 111 national experiences on using web scraping, mobile phone data, social media and satellite imagery, among other sources, to produce a broad number of statistics including on prices, migration, agriculture, mobility and indicators for at least SDGs 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 14 and 15. To support national statistical offices in the use of big data for official statistics, the UNCEBD created four regional hubs: Brazil, China, United Arab Emirates and Rwanda. The Regional Hub for Big Data in Brazil has been developing several activities for capacity building in Latin America and the Caribbean, including for training and fostering the interest of young statisticians on the use of big data, supporting sharing of experiences and knowledge and to strengthen ties and promote cooperation in the Region. The presentation will provide an overview on the work being carried out by the Hub in Brazil, as well as on the practices and challenges regarding the use of big data for statistics in the Region, as reported by the national statistical offices answering two consultations conducted in the years of 2022 and 2023.
