Statement by the Director of the National Bureau of Statistics on the Occasion of World Statistics Day 2025
Today, Antigua and Barbuda joins the international community in celebrating World Statistics Day under the theme “Driving Change with Quality Statistics and Data for Everyone.” This theme speaks directly to the work we are doing to modernize and strengthen our national statistical system.
The transformation of the Statistics Division into the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) marks an important milestone in this journey. It is not only a structural change, but a bold step toward building a modern statistical system that responds to national needs, embraces innovation, and ensures that data serve as a foundation for informed decision-making.
At the heart of our work this year is the 2025 Population and Housing Census, the largest and most significant statistical undertaking in Antigua and Barbuda. The Census provides the information base we need to understand our society, guide economic and social development, and ensure that no one is left behind.
Our mission as the National Bureau of Statistics is clear: to produce quality official statistics by coordinating and engaging a broad national statistical system of users, producers, and suppliers of data. We are guided by the principles of professionalism, integrity, transparency, accountability, and advocacy—values that ensure our work serves the public good.
We also stand with our Caribbean colleagues, with whom we recently observed Caribbean Statistics Day on 15 October. That regional celebration marked the close of the 2024–2025 CARICOM Year of Statistics and underscored the collective strides we are making toward harmonization, quality assurance, and innovation in statistical production.
Let me take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Bureau, whose hard work and dedication sustain our progress, and to the many partners in the national statistical system—ministries, agencies, institutions, business community, stakeholders and the Public —whose cooperation makes our mission possible. Together, we ensure that statistics remain a trusted public good for all.
On this World Statistics Day, let us recommit to the principle that quality statistics and data belong to everyone. Guided by the global theme “Driving Change with Quality Statistics and Data for Everyone” and our national Census theme “Mapping the Present, Shaping the Future,” we embrace the opportunity to strengthen trust in official data and to ensure that statistics continue to drive meaningful change for the people of Antigua and Barbuda.