Big data and statistical production in Latin America and the Caribbean: perspectives from national statistics offices

Abstract

Datafication is one of the primary characteristics of the epochal change that has been underway across the globe in this first quarter of the new century. This era is led by the generation of big data, with diverse and widely distributed sources in categories such as financial transactions, remote sensing, health monitoring, telemetry, consumption measurement and social networks. The use of this type of data poses challenges associated with technological, methodological and structural concerns. To monitor advances and learn about the challenges of using big data to produce statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean, the UN Regional Hub for Big Data in Brazil developed the annual series International Consultation on the Use of Big Data. The two editions of the consultation, which were conducted with national statistics offices in 2022 and 2023, demonstrated that 10 countries had used big data to produce official or experimental statistics in the previous two years. This revealed a promising scenario, particularly when considering that the countries already using big data have regional roles, motivating and supporting other countries in the use of big data.