Find out about the work of the Market Information and Statistics Division (STAT) -
in flyer format (pdf)

As a United Nations agency, the ITU has an obligation to identify, define, and produce statistics covering its sector - the telecommunication/ICT sector. This is in line with other specialized agencies that publish statistics covering their respective field of operations and forms part of the global statistical system of the UN.

The collection of over 100 telecommunication/ICT indicators is one of the main activities of the division. The ITU's Market Information and Statistics (STAT) Division collects its Telecommunication/ICT data directly form governments by means of an annual questionnaire that is sent to the government agency in charge of telecommunications/ICT. This is usually the Ministry or the regulatory agency. A separate questionnaire is sent to all National Statistical Offices around the world to collect data on access to and use of ICTs by households and individuals. More and more countries today carry our ICT household surveys, which is important to complement infrastructure data and to measure progress towards the information society.

The STAT Division verifies and harmonizes data, carries out research, and collects missing values from government web sites and operators' annual reports, particularly for countries that do not reply to the questionnaire. Market research data are also used to cross-check and complement missing values.

The indicators/statistics published in this publication are used to back up ICT sections in inter-governmental publications such as the UNDP Human Development Report, the World Bank World Development Indicators and the United Nations Statistical Yearbook. Data are available in a number of formats including printed publications, CD-ROM, and by electronic download.