Towards the Digital Transformation of Official Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence on the Use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence from the 2024–2025 NSO Consultations

This study examines the adoption, use, and institutionalisation of big data and artificial intelligence in official statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean, drawing on the 2024 and 2025 International Consultations conducted with National Statistical Offices. The study combines questionnaire data from 15 responding countries in 2024 and 21 countries and territories in 2025 with qualitative evidence from in-depth interviews. It also proposes the Statistical Innovation Index, a composite indicator designed to approximate differences in the adoption, integration, and institutionalisation of big data and AI across NSOs. Results indicate a gradual consolidation of big data use, although applications remain concentrated in web scraping and satellite imagery, particularly for price, population, environmental, and agricultural statistics. AI adoption remains at an earlier stage: 39% of responding NSOs reported its use, mainly in data processing and other operational tasks. The maturity classification reveals substantial heterogeneity across the region, with most NSOs concentrated in early or emerging stages of statistical innovation. Findings suggest that progress follows a selective process in which exploratory initiatives are gradually filtered into a smaller number of sustainable applications. Institutional capacity, governance, infrastructure, and regional cooperation emerge as key enablers of this process. More broadly, the findings suggest that the transition from exploratory to operational uses of big data and AI reflects an evolving institutional role of NSOs, in which technological innovation is accompanied by new responsibilities for data governance, institutional coordination, and maintaining public trust in official statistics.