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The United Nations High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB) continued the second day of its 40th meeting at the headquarters of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) in Riyadh. The meeting brings together heads of national statistical offices and representatives of regional and international statistical organizations that are members of the Group.
The discussions focus on ways to enhance integration among international statistical systems, strengthen national capacities to produce accurate and reliable data, and explore prospects for using innovative statistical data to support decision-making and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In a related event, GASTAT organized a panel discussion titled “Utilizing Advanced Technologies and Methodologies to Enhance Statistical Organizations and Enable Sustainable Development.” The session was held in conjunction with the aforementioned meeting as part of the “Road to Riyadh” program. It featured the participation of GASTAT’s President, Fahad Aldossari, Atanas Atanasov, President of the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria- Benjamin Rothen, Ambassador and Head of the International and National Affairs Unit at the Federal Statistical Office- Ola Awad, President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics- Jianhong Ruan, Deputy Commissioner at the National Bureau of Statistics of China- Tang Hsio Chin, Director of Policy and Planning at the Department of Statistics in Singapore- and Johannes Jütting, Executive Head of the PARIS21 Initiative.
In his opening remarks, GASTAT’s President highlighted Saudi Arabia’s upcoming hosting of the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum in November 2026.  He outlined the ongoing preparations through the launch of the “Road to Riyadh” program, a year-long initiative that includes a series of workshops and panel discussions at the local, regional, and international levels.
 
During the discussion, speakers explored the pivotal role of national statistical offices in advancing data methodologies and leveraging modern technologies to enhance the quality of statistics and support evidence-based decision-making.
Speakers highlighted that the rapid advancement of emerging technologies is contributing to the development of integrated digital data ecosystems capable of delivering timely and reliable indicators that support decision-making within national statistical systems. They emphasized the importance of fostering sustainable international cooperation among statistical organizations and building strategic partnerships that advance the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Such collaboration, they noted, enhances the production of accurate and trustworthy data, accelerates data delivery, improves quality and coverage, and promotes resource efficiency by reducing reliance on traditional survey methods.
They also stressed that strengthening the readiness of national statistical offices requires continued progress in developing clear regulatory frameworks for data governance, expanding the use of secure cloud-based solutions, and linking administrative records across key sectors such as health and labor markets. Additionally, adopting predictive analytics methodologies and producing synthetic data can help broaden data utilization while ensuring privacy and security, thereby driving tangible progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
It is noteworthy that GASTAT continues its preparations to host the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum in November 2026 through a series of initiatives organized under the “Road to Riyadh” program. The program aims to highlight Saudi Arabia’s statistical, developmental, and economic advancements, achieved through the application of international statistical standards and principles that have contributed to the Kingdom’s notable progress across multiple global statistical indicators.
 

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