UN publishes manual to help States compile information technology statistics

A Geneva-based United Nations agency today announced the publication of a new manual offering technical assistance for compiling statistics on information and communications technology (ICT).

The Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Information Economy should serve as a reference for national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics on business use of ICT, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a news release.

Providing a guide to data collection and analysis, international standards and definitions, the publication also offers model questions for surveys on ICT use, and reviews issues related to compiling ICT statistics.

Paul Cheung, Director of the UN Statistical Division, notes in the Manual's preface that information on access to, use, and impact of ICT “is particularly important for the developing countries, many of which are just starting their statistical work on the information society.”

He said that internationally, comparable ICT indicators are critical to “for monitoring the global digital divide.”