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Country Profile of Venezuela

Main statistical agency
Main statistical agency name
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE)
Web address
www.ine.gov.ve/
Position in the government
INE es en el Ministerio del Poder Popular Para la Planificacion y Desarrollo.

Organizational structure and finance
A detailed organigram of INE can be found at the website.

The National Statistical System (SEN) is the totality of rules, institutions, functions and relations to produce statistics for the national interest. The creation of the SEN was intended to achieve coordinated, integrated and efficient procedures. Within the SEN exist three subsystems: central, regional and municipal.
Multi-annual or annual work program
Title IV of the Proyecto de Reglamento General de la Ley de la Función Pública de Estadística gives an outline of the National Statistical Plan (NSP):

Article 32: The NSP sets guidelines for the statistics that must be produced by the INE and other organs of the SNE, for approval by the government.

Article 33: The NSP must as a minimum contain the following specifications:

1. The statistics that must be produced by the various organs of the SNE.
2. For each of those statistics, essential elements such as:

o The organs that must cooperate in the compilation
o The objectives of the statistics and their general content
o An estimate of the resources needed

3. The programme of investments needed to improve and renovate the statistical function.

Article 34. Annual statistical plans are the instrument for the development and execution of the NSP.

Article 35. The Annual Statistical Plan for a given year describes:

1. Name of the statistical data collection.
2. Objectives.
3. Geographical coverage.
4. Periodicity.
5. Units of information.
6. Timeframe of execution.
7. Responsible agency.
8. Statistics needed to comply with international demands.
Main duties
The functions of the OCEI are the following:

o Leading and directing all that is related to the production, analysis and dissemination of statistics..
o Advice on the creation and organisation of sectoral and regional offices of statistics.
o Act as leading agency in informatics at the level of the national government and intervene in all that is related to computerised data processing.
o Guarantee the confidentiality of the individual data collected in the course of the statistical process.


Brief history and other relevant background information
Brief history and other relevant background information
Before 1871, official statistics in Venezuela were compiled by several government and other organizations, but none of them specialized in statistics. In 1871 a combination of factors generated the birth of the Statistical System of Venezuela and the beginning of the history of the present Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

o 9 January 1871, a directorate for (initially agricultural) statistics was created within the Ministry of Development. A Statistical Regulation was adopted. A High Council for Statistics was established, composed of the President of the Republic and the Ministers of State. All public officials were obliged to submit statistical data for their area of work, and to fulfill a role in the General Census of the Republic. Bishops were ordered to supply those data that were not part of the public sector. A Statistical Yearbook was published. Also, an Annual Statistical Plan was made up.

o The first Census of the Population was held on 1873. The second one was in 1881, the third in 1891.

o After 1936 and particularly after the Law on Statistics and National Censuses was adopted in 1944, the government showed new interest in statistical matters. The Law described the obligation of all public bodies and of the population to submit the information that was required for statistical purposes. The Law assigned the collection, elaboration and dissemination of statistical information to the General Directorate for Statistics. The rule to have a decennial census, from 1950 onwards, was also stipulated in the Law. Until 1 January 1978, statistics were the responsibility of the Ministry of Development. 21 December 1977, however, the Office for Statistics and Informatics (OCEI) was created, directly under the President of the Republic and the Council of Ministers.

From 1991, the planning of statistical work is part of the Social Development Programme (PDS), which is supported by the World bank. Significant investments have been made in technological infrastructure and human capabilities. New databases have been developed, an internal reorganisation of OCEI has been implemented and dissemination of statistical information has been improved through the establishment (1995) of the Oficina de Promoción de Servicios de Información. In addition, the information flows between local authorities and the national government level have been restructured and a GIS has been set up.

In 1997, with the assistance of UNDP, a new Law on Statistics and National Censuses was drafted, which was approved by the National Assembly in May 2001, as the Ley de la Función Pública Estadística (Law on Public Statistics).


Legal basis
Legal basis
Ley de la Función Pública Estadística.


Other producers of official statistics
Other producers of official statistics
Banco Central de Venezuela
Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Educación
Ministerio de Salud y Desarrollo Social (MSDS)
Ministerio de la Defensa


Statistical advisory bodies
Statistical advisory bodies
From: Proyecto de Reglamento General de la Ley de la Función Pública de Estadística

Chapter I. About the Consejo Nacional de Estadística (CNE- National Statistical Council)

Article 41. The Presidency of the CNE is assured by the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Vice-Presidency by the National Statistical Council and the Secretariat by the National Statistical Insititute. Members are:

1. A representative of each of the Ministries, at the level of Director-General.
2. A representative of the Central Bank of Venezuela, at the level of Director-General or equivalent.
3. A representative of the Federación Venezolana de Cámaras y Asociación de Comercio y Producción (FEDECAMARAS).
4. A representative of labour unions that are most representative at the national level.
5. A university professor designated by the Consejo Nacional de Universidades.
6. A representative designated by the Asamblea Nacional.
7. A representative designated by the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia.
8. A representative designated by the Consejo Moral Republicano.
9. A representative designated by the Consejo Nacional Electoral.
10. A representative designated by the Consejo Federal de Gobierno.
11. A representative designated by the Asociación de Gobernadores.
12. A representative designated by the Asociación de Alcaldes.
13. A representative of the Consejo Nacional de Economía.
14. A representative of the Confederación Venezolana de Industriales (CONINDUSTRIA).
15. A representative of the Consejo Nacional del Comercio y los Servicios (CONSECOMERCIO).
16. A representative of the Federación de Artesanos, micro, pequeños y medianos Industriales de Venezuela (FEDEINDUSTRIA).
17. A representative of the Colegio de Estadísticos y Actuarios de Venezuela.

The Ministry of Planning and Development can vary and adapt the number of members, taking into consideration the opinion of the Presodent of the National Statistical Insititute.

Article 42. Members are designated every three years, or shorter at the initiative of represented institutions. Memebsr can be replaced in cases of vacancy or for medical reasons. Representatives of Ministries must give up their seat when they leave the post that was reason for their appointment.

Article 43. The Council can act in plenary meetings or in committees.

Article 48. The Council shall have as many plenary sessions as are needed to fulfill its functions, but at least one per year.

In addition to the Council, there are technical advisory committees for economic and social statistics.


Data collection
Most recent population census
30 October 2001
Data confidentiality
From: Proyecto de Reglamento General de la Ley de la Función Pública de Estadística, Chapter II. About the statistical secret.

Article 22. All individual data collected in the framework of the National Statistical System shall be protected against disclosure.

Article 23. Registers that do not contain more than names, addresses etc. of enterprises shall not be covered by the protection as mentioned in article 22.

Article 24. In publications information related to less than three units of analysis shall not be divulged. To protect confidentiality, identifiers shall be kept separate from other information.


Data dissemination
Main publications
List of publications at the website.
Languages of main publications
Spanish
How are data disseminated (Paper, CD Rom, Website, online databases, databanks)?
Website.
Availability of microdata for research purposes
From: Proyecto de Reglamento General de la Ley de la Función Pública de Estadística, Chapter II. About the statistical secret.

Article 25. Anyone who asks for data that are subject to the statistical secret has to demonstrate:

1. The reason for his request.
2. That the information has been collected at least twenty years ago.
3. The use that will be made of the information.
4. That is not possible to achieve the same purpose in other manners.

Article 27. Data providers may waive the statistical secret if they expressly declare so.




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