Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB)

www.csb.gov.lv

The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) is a state administrative institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Economics, and it is responsible for the organisation of the state statistical work in the Republic of Latvia.

When performing its professional duties it is still completely independent from any state power or administrative institution, political party or movement.

The President of the CSB reports to the Minister of Economics. Since 2001 the CSB issues an Annual report of the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

President (Mrs. Aija Žīgure)
Vice President (Mr. Kaspars Misāns)
Vice President (Mr. Norberts Tālers)
President’s Office
Personnel Management Division
Legal Division
EU Affairs Coordination Division
Mathematical Support Division
Business Tendency and Territorial Statistics Section
Statistical Methodology and Organization Division
Strategic Planning and Resources Management Department
Financial Resources Accounting Section
Resources Planning, Analysis and Coordination Section
Price Statistics Department
Consumer Price Indices Section
Producer Price Indices Section
Macroeconomic Statistics Department
Government Finance Section
Quarterly National Accounts Section
Annual National Accounts Section
Foreign Trade Statistics Data Collection and Processing
Section
Foreign Trade Statistics Methodology, Analysis and
Dissemination Section
Business Statistics Department
Investment and Real Estate Statistics Section
Industrial Statistics Section
Trade and Services Statistics Section
Enterprise Finance and Structural Statistics Section
Business Register Section
Agricultural and Environment Statistics Department
Agricultural Statistics Section
Environment and Energy Statistics Section
Transport and Tourism Statistics Section
Social Statistics Department
Wage Statistics Section
Living Standard's Statistics Section
Employment Statistics Section
Population Statistics Section
Interviewer's Coordination Section
Income and Living Conditions Statistics Section
Culture, Education, Science and Health Statistics Section
Population Census Section
Informatics Department
IT Technical Section
IT Technological Section
Regular Statistics Processing Section
Application Software Development Section
Statistical Metainformation Maintenance Section
Information, Publishing and Printing Department
Publishing Section
Information Centre
Printing Section
Administrative Department
General Services and Archive's Section
Technical Operation and Maintenance Section
Statistical Data Processing Department
Data Collection and Processing Centres
Kuldiga Data Collection and Processing Centre
Valmiera Data Collection and Processing Centre
Pieriga Data Collection and Processing Centre
Preili Data Collection and Processing Centre

According to the Official Statistics Law the CSB prepares the National Programme of Statistical Information every year. The programme includes all yearly statistical information and it formulates:
•Contents of the statistical information;
•Responsible institutions;
•Periodicity;
•Methods of obtaining data;
•Available aggregates, their breakdown.

• implementation of a unified State policy in the field of management, compilation, analysis and publication of the official statistical information;
• provision of users of statistics with information included in the National Programme of Statistical Information for which the responsibility is borne by the Central Statistical Bureau;
• preparation, within the scope of the financial resources of the current year, of the National Programme of Statistical Information, the questionnaire forms for official statistics. The National Programme of Statistical Information, the questionnaire forms for official statistics shall be approved by the Cabinet;
• taking responsibility for the development of a unified classification system for economic information. The Cabinet shall approve the unified classification system for economic information and the procedures for the implementation and use thereof.;
• co-ordination of the whole flow of statistical information at the national level, as well as the mutual harmonisation of the statistical indicators to be included in State registers and other information systems;
• co-ordination of the activities of State authorities in the field of statistics, as well as international co-operation;
• carrying out, upon agreement with the interested private individuals or State authorities, of additional statistical work which is not included in the National Programme of Statistical Information;
• performance of scientific research in the field of statistics, business tendency surveys in the branches of national economy, as well as development of prognosis of statistical indicators in accordance with the National Programme of Statistical Information.


The Official Statistics Law endows the CSB with rights to determine the amount of the necessary statistical information in the Republic of Latvia, as well to receive this primary information from all legal and physical persons free of charge.

On September 1, 1919, the Cabinet of Ministers established the State Statistics Bureau, adopted temporary regulations of its operation and, as Director of the Bureau, appointed Marģers Skujenieks, under whose management the Bureau operated until 1940.
Strict principle of centralization was put in the base of Latvian statistics.
During the following years, 7 departments were established: those of demography and agriculture, general, industry, foreign trade, domestic trade, as well as prices and labour statistics.
Next to regular statistical works, the Bureau carried out a number of general censuses.
The Central Statistical Management of Latvian SSR (since 1987 – State Statistical Committee) that was established after World War II operated within the structure of the corresponding organization of the USSR. The methodology of statistical work under the conditions of planned economics, methods of data collection and processing were strictly centralized and regulated.
Upon restoration of independence, the Central Statistical Bureau of Republic of Latvia (State Statistical Committee until 1998) started to develop the system of statistics on new base that was determined by the transition of the country to the conditions of market economics. Since 1998, the Central Statistical Bureau of Republic of Latvia has been managed by Aija Žīgure.

Historical facts in short

1912 – publication of Margers Skujenieks “National Issue in Latvia” where area of the territory of Latvia, number of population and national composition was calculated for the very first time.

September 1, 1919 – the Cabinet of Ministers established State Statistical Bureau, adopted the interim regulations on its activity and appointed M. Skujenieks as director of the office.

1940-1944
World War II interrupted the activity of State Statistical Bureau. Its director M. Skujenieks was arrested and later – shot.
During the Nazi Occupation compilation of statistical data was taken over by Reichskommissar für das Ostland, and available statistical data on occupied eastern regions – the Baltic States, Belarus and eastern part of Poland – were compiled in the publication „Structural Report on the Ostland” („Strukturbericht über das Ostland”).

1945 – Latvia became part of the USSR, therefore, statistical office was restructured and incorporated into statistical system of the USSR.

1987 – Statistical State Bureau was renamed State Committee on Statistics.

1992 – Restructuring of the statistical system was taken up to successfully integrate into the EU statistical system.

1998 – State Committee on Statistics was renamed Central Statistical Bureau.

• Official Statistics Law (1997) (amended on 28 January 1999, 18 March 2004, 7 October 2004, 16 March 2006, 15 November 2007 (data confidentiality), 29 January 2009 (regional statistics))
• Law on Population Census (1999)(amended on 3 September 2009)
• Personal Data Protection Law (2000) (amended on 24 October 2002, 19 December 2006, 1 March 2007, 21 February 2008, 12 June 2009)
• Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on:
-statutes of the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) (2004)
-National Programme of Statistical Information (approved annually)
-questionnaire forms for official statistics (2009)
-unified system of classification of Economic Information (2008)
-paid services price list (2005)
• Other laws and regulations concerning state procurements, information systems, public administration system etc.

The Bank of Latvia (balance of payments), Financial and Capital Market Commission (insurance statistics and credit institutions statistics), Ministry of Welfare (health statistics), Ministry of Interiors Affairs (crime statistics), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport and others.

The Consultative group for business statistics, supported by the Council of Economy.

31 March 2000

The CSB uses information from various administrative sources. To some of them the CSB has direct access to individual records (State Enterprise Register), some of them are provided to the CSB as a copy for statistical needs (Residents Register, Register of the State Land Service). The legal process to allow the direct access to individual records of Taxpayers Register is ongoing now. Besides, the CSB uses the aggregated information from more than 70 administrative data sources.

The CSB, according to its mandate of operation, is the principal Latvian institution responsible for working with official statistics; it is in charge of organizing and coordinating the work of national statistics and ensuring correctness of data obtained by summarizing information received from respondents. Performance of the tasks of the CSB would be impossible without cooperation with respondents and mutual trust.
When the CSB receives statistical information from respondents, it undertakes to use the data only for purposes prescribed in legislation and to protect it from unauthorized access and use for inappropriate purposes. This commitment to ensure confidentiality of information provided by respondents is more than just a legal and ethical matter – it is a crucial precondition for public trust and proper functioning of the statistics system.

Mutual trust ensures that the CSB receives qualitative statistical information from respondents, while respondents feel safe about protection of the information they have provided, hence benefiting both parties as well as society in general. The Confidentiality Handbook is intended as a means for strengthening mutual trust, because it can be used as a basis for creating a systematic approach of the CSB and ensuring harmonized practices of different structural units in dealing with confidentiality issues.
It is important to be aware that the CSB provides data users with information required by them for decision-making and study process. Balancing the interests of data users with guaranteeing confidentiality of statistical information is one of the elements of producing statistical information, which requires specific knowledge and harmonization of methods

With respect to protection of individual statistical data, the CSB shall apply the following legislation:
· Official Statistics Law;
· Law on Census of Population;
· Personal Data Protection Law;
· Freedom of Information Law;
· Law on State Information Systems;
· State Administration Structure Law.

A release calendar for current year of the CSB is available at website http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/events/?lng=en&mode=pln. The releases are sorted by month and users can browse the calendar. The releases are published at 1pm Latvian time.
The advance release calendar of the statistical databases is available here http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/?lng=en&cat=355. The data is published on indicated day.

The catalogue and information how to subscribe of available publications is published here http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/? lng=en&cat=3599.
The information leaflets are available for download here http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/?lng=en&cat=7904.

All publications are available in Latvian and most part is in bilingual format (Latvian/English).

The all data collected by the CSB are available at statististical databases http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/?lng=en&cat=355.
The selected indicators and themes are available in paper publications. The list of publications is available here http://www.csb.gov.lv/csp/content/? lng=en&cat=3599.

In order to encourage deeper analysis of statistical information and its use in research, the CSB provides access to anonymized individual statistical information for scientific purposes, in the meantime strictly observing the principles of confidentiality. The respondent-level data can be modified in order to preclude identification of respondents and Statistical bureau can issue any requirements necessary for the protection of the individual data.
The data are provided to researcher under contract that specifies the conditions for access and the obligations of the researcher.