Roads connect cities, bridges connect regions, electricity powers industries and digital networks connect people. Equally important-but often overlooked-is another form of national infrastructure: official statistics. Modern governments govern through data. Budgets, investment, education, healthcare and social protection all depend on reliable statistics. Yet their value lies not only in accuracy but also in public trust. Once confidence erodes, even sound statistics lose credibility and policymaking shifts from evidence to assumption. Bangladesh has invested heavily in physical infrastructure. Its next priority should be strengthening the credibility of official statistics.

Bangladesh's Statistical System: A National Asset

Bangladesh deserves recognition for building one of South Asia's most comprehensive statistical systems. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Bangladesh Bank (BB), Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT) and other specialised agencies produce the data that guide government, businesses, universities and development partners. From the Population Census and Labour Force Survey to inflation, trade and health statistics, these institutions generate information essential for national planning. The issue, therefore, is not whether Bangladesh has a statistical system-it clearly does. The real question is whether that system commands the highest level of public trust.

When Credibility Becomes the Real Issue

The purpose of this discussion is not to suggest that Bangladesh's official statistics are fabricated or deliberately manipulated. Such allegations require compelling evidence and would overlook the professionalism of many dedicated statisticians and public servants. The real concern is different: a nation's statistics need not be inaccurate to become ineffective. Once public confidence weakens, even accurate data lose their authority. Bangladesh has experienced several episodes that highlight the importance of statistical credibility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) estimated GDP growth at 5.24 per cent for FY2020, prompting debate among economists. The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) questioned whether limited real-time data had adequately captured the pandemic's economic impact and called for greater institutional independence of BBS. The episode underscored the importance of transparent methodology in maintaining public confidence.

A positive step followed when the Government strengthened the operational independence of BBS by allowing it to publish official statistics without prior administrative approval, reinforcing the principle that statistics should be produced according to professional rather than administrative considerations.

Other challenges remain. Differences between official inflation and the cost-of-living experiences of many households highlight the need to regularly review the Consumer Price Index (CPI) methodology and clearly communicate revisions. Likewise, valuable datasets maintained by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Bangladesh Bank, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) often operate independently. The next challenge is therefore not collecting more data but integrating and harmonising them to strengthen public trust.

Why Statistical Trust Matters

Statistics are not collected merely to publish reports; they exist to improve public policy. If poverty, labour, agriculture or health statistics are inaccurate or poorly trusted, social protection, education, food security and healthcare policies become less effective. Statistical weaknesses rarely remain technical issues-they eventually become governance challenges.

What the World Has Learned

Many countries have experienced similar challenges and responded by strengthening statistical institutions rather than weakening them. The United Kingdom established the UK Statistics Authority as an independent statutory body responsible for safeguarding the integrity of official statistics. Statistics Canada enjoys a high degree of professional independence and is internationally respected for methodological transparency. Australia routinely publishes detailed methodologies, revision policies and quality assurance procedures. South Korea has invested heavily in integrating administrative databases while strengthening the institutional capacity of Statistics Korea. These countries understand a simple truth: statistical credibility is a national economic asset.

The United Nations Standard

Recognising the importance of trustworthy data, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in 2014. They emphasise that official statistics should be professionally independent, impartial, scientifically produced, methodologically transparent, equally accessible and continuously improved to ensure quality, credibility and international comparability.

A Ten-Point Government Action Plan

Bangladesh can significantly strengthen confidence in official statistics through practical institutional reforms.

First, strengthen the statutory independence of BBS.

Second, establish an Independent National Statistical Commission comprising statisticians, economists, universities, research institutions and private-sector experts.

Third, conduct periodic independent audits of major datasets including GDP, inflation, labour force, poverty and census statistics.

Fourth, publish complete statistical methodologies, including sampling procedures, response rates and revision histories.

Fifth, provide secure access to anonymised microdata for accredited universities and researchers to facilitate independent validation.

Sixth, integrate administrative databases across BBS, Bangladesh Bank, NBR, DGHS, DGFP and BANBEIS through interoperable digital platforms.

Seventh, adopt a National Data Quality Framework aligned with the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and international best practices.

Eighth, apply artificial intelligence to detect anomalies, inconsistencies and reporting errors before official publication.

Ninth, establish annual parliamentary oversight of the quality and credibility of official statistics.

Finally, introduce a National Data Trust Index measuring confidence in official statistics among citizens, businesses, researchers, universities and development partners. Trust itself should become a measurable indicator of governance quality.

Trust: Bangladesh's Next Development Dividend

As Bangladesh advances towards upper-middle-income status and a knowledge-driven economy, reliable data will become increasingly central to good governance. Development cannot be guided by numbers that invite doubt; it must be guided by statistics that command public confidence. Credible official data improve policymaking, strengthen investment, support research and reinforce public accountability. Bangladesh has built world-class physical infrastructure. Its next institutional priority should be a statistical system whose independence, professionalism and transparency are beyond question. Ultimately, the true strength of a nation's statistical system is measured not by the volume of data it produces, but by the trust those data inspire. In the years ahead, statistical credibility may become one of Bangladesh's greatest development assets.