News

The 40th meeting of UN’s HLG-PCCB for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commenced today at the headquarters of GASTAT in Riyadh, with the participation of heads of national statistical offices and representatives of regional and international statistical organizations that are members of the Group.

Kingdom’s hosting of this major international meeting underscores the growing role of GASTAT in supporting global efforts to advance statistical data systems and enhance countries’ capabilities in the statistical domain. The meeting’s agenda includes discussions on enhancing integration across international statistical systems, developing national capacities for producing accurate and reliable statistical data, and exploring ways to expand the use of innovative statistical data.

GASTAT continues its preparations to host the 6th United Nations World Data Forum through the program "Road to Riyadh” which spans a full year before the date of the event. The program features a series of workshops and panel discussions at the local, regional, and international levels, with the participation of experts and statistical institutions from around the world. It aims to facilitate knowledge exchange, strengthen partnerships, and ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of the Forum’s outcomes, as it serves as a key platform for advancing global data and statistical systems.

It is worth noting that hosting the Forum in Riyadh carries significant importance, reflecting the Kingdom’s growing leadership in advancing statistical systems, fostering international partnerships in the data field, and embracing cutting-edge statistical innovations, technologies, and global best practices to support shared objectives at the local, regional, and international levels.
 

General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the Industrial Production Index (IPI) results for September 2025. The overall IPI recorded an increase of 9.3% compared to the same month of the previous year. In detail, compared with September 2024, the sub-index for mining and quarrying and the sub-index for manufacturing increased by 11.0% and 6.3%, respectively. The sub-index for electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply also recorded an increase of 12.6%, while the sub-index for water supply, sewage, waste management, and remediation activities increased by 9.2% Regarding the main economic activities, the index for oil activities increased by 10.1%, while the index for non-oil activities increased by 7.3%, compared with September 2024.
It is noteworthy that GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. It is an economic indicator that reflects the relative changes in the volume of industrial output, based on data from the Industrial Production Survey, which is conducted on a sample of industrial establishments engaged in the targeted activities: mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, water supply, sewage and waste management, and remediation activities. 
 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), will host the 40th meeting of UN High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity-Building for statistics related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (HLG-PCCB). The meeting will take place on November 10–11  2025 at GASTAT’s headquarters in Riyadh, with the participation of committee members, including heads of national statistical offices and representatives of international and regional statistical organizations. This global event reflects the Kingdom’s growing leadership in supporting the international statistical system and advancing joint efforts to develop statistical capacity, contributing to monitoring progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and coordinating related initiatives among member states.
Hosting this meeting highlights the Kingdom’s leading role in the statistical field at the international level and its commitment to supporting global efforts to achieve the SDGs, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to enhance knowledge exchange and strengthen national and international statistical infrastructures.
During the meeting, participants will explore ways to enhance integration among international statistical systems and develop national capacities to produce accurate and reliable data. Discussions will also address expanding the use of innovative data, adopting advanced statistical methodologies to support development and economic planning, examining strategies to strengthen national data ownership, and evaluating the role of the private sector in supporting statistical systems of member states. In addition, the meeting will review the 2026 workplan and prepare to present the group’s report to the UN Statistical Commission in the first quarter of the year.
It is worth noting that the HLG-PCCB was established by the UN Statistical Commission during its 46th session, with membership comprising heads of international and regional statistical organizations. The group’s work focuses on international cooperation to develop statistical systems, oversee the organization of the UN World Data Forum, and develop statistical data strategies by supporting countries in building statistical policies aligned with international standards
 

GASTAT launches the first activities of the Road to Riyadh Program, which will run for a whole year ahead of hosting the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum in Riyadh in November 2026. The program features a series of workshops and panel discussions at local, regional, and international levels, with the participation of leading experts and statistical institutions from around the world. A panel discussion entitled “Utilizing advanced technologies and methodologies to enhance statistical systems and enable sustainable development” will be held on the sidelines of the 40th meeting of the High-Level Group for partnership, coordination, and capacity-building for statistics for the 2030 agenda for sustainable development (HLG-PCCB), hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at GASTAT’s headquarters on November, 10–11 2025.
The panel aims to enhance international cooperation, develop both national and international statistical systems, foster partnerships among national statistical offices, international organizations, private sector, and civil society to develop global data and statistical systems, and oversee the organization of the forum.
The panel, which will feature the participation of the President of GASTAT, Fahad Aldossari, will address the future of data and statistics, highlight the vital role of National Statistical Organizations (NSOs) in developing data collection and analysis methodologies, and explore modern technologies to enhance the outputs quality and support decision-making. It will also discuss the main challenges related to governance, skill building, and the ethical aspects associated with adopting technological solutions within statistical systems.
Several heads and officials from member statistical organizations and international organizations within the HLG-PCCB, including Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, China, Singapore, Palestine, Switzerland, and PARIS21, will present the latest international experiences and best practices in statistical digital transformation and discuss the importance of international cooperation and building sustainable partnerships to strengthen national capacities and support the measurement of progress toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
It is noteworthy that the Road to Riyadh Program is part of GASTAT’s ongoing preparations to host the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum. The program aims to facilitate the exchange of expertise, strengthen partnerships, and showcase the statistical advancements achieved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which have contributed to progress across several international indicators. It also seeks to ensure the sustainability of the forum’s outcomes and maximize their impact beyond its conclusion.