Abstract

How does the quality of national statistical systems affect the quality of governance and vice versa? A better understanding of official statistics, including their relationship to governance and other key outcomes, is relevant both to academic researchers and to policymakers. 
The data exploratory analysis shows a strong correlation between governance and official statistics, a thesis confirmed in all continents. Where there is good governance, there is a good statistical system. Where there is a good statistical system, there is good governance. In particular, one of the six indicators of Worldwide Governance Indicators, the Regulatory Quality is most correlated with official statistics performance, about 80 percent. Namely, the ability of the government to formulate and implement sound policies and regulations is more related to the official statistics performance. The least correlated, more than 50 percent, from the six indicators of Worldwide Governance Indicators, is Political Stability.
The countries with the best governance are the ones with the best statistical performance. In fact, among the top 10 best governance countries, five are also in the top 10 for statistical performance. The main indicators employed for this analysis are the Worldwide Governance Indicators (six indicators) and the Statistical Performance Indicators by the World Bank.