Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Información

Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Información
Name	Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Información
Native name	Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información
Formed	1976
Headquarters	Havana, Cuba
Jurisdiction	Cuba
Chief1 name	(Director)
Parent department	Council of Ministers (Cuba)

Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Información is the principal official statistical institution of Cuba, responsible for national censuses, surveys, and administrative data compilation. It operates under the aegis of the Council of Ministers (Cuba) and coordinates with provincial delegations and sectoral ministries to produce indicators used by institutions such as the Bank of Cuba, Ministerio de Finanzas y Precios (Cuba), and the Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y la Inversión Extranjera. The office disseminates data that inform reporting for multilateral organizations including the United Nations, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

History

The agency traces origins to statistical units established during the early years of the Cuban Revolution and successor reorganizations linked to state planning bodies like the National Planning Board (Cuba). Formal consolidation occurred in the 1970s alongside restructuring of institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture (Cuba), Ministry of Sugar (Cuba), and agencies handling population registration. Major milestones include national population and housing censuses aligned with United Nations recommendations and methodological shifts following interactions with the Statistical Commission (United Nations), Inter-American Statistical Institute, and technical missions from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The office’s development intersected with policy episodes involving the Special Period in Cuba and international events such as negotiations with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development delegations and visits by delegations from the People's Republic of China and Russian Federation.

Functions and Responsibilities

The institution compiles indicators on demographics, labor, health, agriculture, and industry for use by bodies including the Ministry of Public Health (Cuba), Central de Trabajadores de Cuba, and the Ministry of Higher Education (Cuba). It conducts population censuses similar to those coordinated by the United Nations Statistics Division and supplies national accounts consistent with concepts from the System of National Accounts used by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The office produces price indices referenced by the Ministerio de Finanzas y Precios (Cuba) and trade statistics reported to the World Trade Organization. It also maintains registries and sampling frames that support research by universities such as the University of Havana and institutes like the Cuban Institute of Meteorology.

Organizational Structure

The agency is headquartered in Havana with provincial statistical offices in provinces such as Pinar del Río Province, Artemisa Province, Mayabeque Province, Matanzas Province, Villa Clara Province, Cienfuegos Province, Sancti Spíritus Province, Ciego de Ávila Province, Camagüey Province, Las Tunas Province, Holguín Province, Santiago de Cuba Province, Guantánamo Province, and Isla de la Juventud. Its governance includes a directorate reporting to the Council of Ministers (Cuba), methodological departments interacting with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and technical units collaborating with agencies such as the National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí. Advisory links extend to research centers like the Center for Molecular Immunology and cultural institutions including the National Library of Cuba José Martí.

Statistical Programs and Publications

Regular outputs include national population and housing censuses, labor force surveys, household income and expenditure surveys, agricultural production statistics coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture (Cuba), industrial output series for enterprises such as Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A., and tourism statistics tracking arrivals to destinations like Varadero. Publications mirror international practice with statistical yearbooks, thematic reports on health aligned with World Health Organization indicators, and methodological bulletins consistent with standards from the International Labour Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Data releases inform analyses by think tanks, academic journals at the University of Havana, and reporting by media outlets such as Granma and Juventud Rebelde.

Methodology and Data Quality

Methodological frameworks draw on international standards including the System of National Accounts, the International Comparison Program, and classifications like the International Standard Industrial Classification. Quality assurance involves sampling designs, fieldwork protocols, and confidentiality safeguards paralleling guidance from the United Nations Statistics Division and the International Statistical Institute. The office adapts survey instruments used in censuses of other nations such as those of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and Canada while engaging in capacity-building with statistical services from the Russian Federation and China. Statistical releases address issues of coverage, non-response, and revision policies to maintain comparability for users such as the International Monetary Fund and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

International Cooperation and Legal Framework

International engagement includes technical cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, data reporting to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and participation in regional initiatives by the Statistical Conference of the Americas. Legal mandates derive from Cuban legislation administered by organs like the National Assembly of People's Power and executive regulations enacted by the Council of Ministers (Cuba), aligning confidentiality provisions with norms promoted by the United Nations and data exchange protocols used in agreements with the Caribbean Community and bilateral memoranda with national statistical offices such as the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Mexico), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (Argentina).

Category:Government agencies of Cuba Category:National statistical services