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Country Profile of Micronesia (Federal States of)

Main statistical agency
Main statistical agency name
Office of Statistics, Budget and Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance, and Compact management (SBOC)
Web address
www.spc.int/prism/country/fm/stats/
Position in the government
The Statistics Division is part of the Office of Statistics, Budget and Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance, and Compact management (SBOC). The creation of this office is part of the efforts to increase management efficiency within the National Government and to better enable departments and offices to deal effectively with evolving issues and challenges.
Organizational structure and finance
The Director supervises each of the four divisions, which are each headed by an Assistant Director: Division of Statistics; Division of Budget and Economic Management; Division of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA); Division of Compact Management.
Main duties
The Division of Statistics is FSM's official statistical information agency with a mission to provide relevant and timely statistics on the socio-economic activities, as the basis for information, decision making, research and discussion, to all persons and organization.

1. To advise the President and the executive branch on matters pertaining to statistical policy

2. To coordinate the statistical work for all National Government departments with particular emphasis in the following areas:

1. the avoidance of duplication in data collection
2. the attainment in compatibility between, and the integration of statistics compiled by national Government departments and agencies
3. the maximum possible utilisation of statistical data
4. the formulation and implementation of standards for carrying out statistical operations
5. the recruitment and training of statistical staff, and
6. the general promotion and development of integrated social and economic statistics for the National Government

3. To compile, analyse and disseminate official statistics and related information

4. To collect statistics and related information concerning social, economic and demographic matters

5. To prepare and publish an annual statistical abstract for the Federated States of Micronesia

6. To conduct periodic censuses of population and other censuses and sample surveys at the request of the President

7. To design and prepare questionnaires for use in censuses and sample surveys

8. To promote and assist statistical activities in the states and to assist State governments and organisations in the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical information

9. To liaise with statistical organisations in other nations and with international organisations regarding statistical matters


Brief history and other relevant background information
Brief history and other relevant background information
Before 1999, the branch offices in the four states (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae) had been operating independently from each other. They were regulated and budgeted by the respective state governments and each collecting and producing their own statistics. As such, it was often difficult to aggregate these state figures to a "national" figure. The governments recognized the need for single national indicators. This need was further compounded by international requests for such information.

In 1999 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the national government and the state governments, centralizing statistical operations under the national office. The statistics offices in the 4 states are now operating under the national budget, statistics collected by these states get sent to the National Statistics Office for compilation, thus producing statistics representing both the States and National Government.

The National Statistics Office is based at the capital (Palikir) with 8 staff, while branch offices in the 4 states are manned with 3 working staff each.

The Statistics Office is presently known as the "Statistics Unit" within the Department of Economic Affairs. With the new administration, the Unit will become a part of a the newly-formed Office of Statistics, Budget, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management.


Legal basis
Legal basis
Our Statistical operations are governed by our [Statistics Act: Third Regular Session 1988; Public Law No. 5-77; Congressional Bill No. 5-256, C.D.1].


Other producers of official statistics
Other producers of official statistics
FSM Banking Board
FSM Customs and Tax
Department of Education
Division of Immigration and Labor
FSM Telecommunications Corporation


Data collection
Most recent population census
1 April 2000
Access to administrative data
The Division of Statistics has access to the data collected by other producers of official statistics.
Data confidentiality
According to our [Statistics Act: Third Regular Session 1988; Public Law No. 5-77; Congressional Bill No. 5-256, C.D.1], all information collected by the FSM Statistics Unit -- whether from an individual, business, or organization -- will be kept in confidence. This means that any officer or employee of the Statistics Unit, including any contracted persons, provided with data pursuant to section 11 of the above act, shall not:

1. Use the information for any purpose other than for the purpose of conducting a census, sample survey, gathering statistical data, or for compiling and disseminating tabulations or other statistical materials.

2. Make any publication whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual can be identified.

3. Permit anyone other than sworn employees of the Statistics Unit to examine the individual reports.


Data dissemination
Release calendar (existence, when and how published)
The website has a schedule of the quarterly, annually, and ad hoc publications.
Main publications
QUARTERLY
Consumer Price Index
International Visitors Arrival

ANNUALLY
International Merchandise Trade
Statistical Yearbook
Compact Annual Report
Economic Summary Review

ADHOC
Census Reports
Survey Reports
Development (Strategic) Plans
Compact Reports

International Visitor Arrival Report (Annual report is included as last section of Q4 report)

Consumer Price Index

Statistical Surveys: 1998 Household Income and Expenditure Survey Report
Languages of main publications
English.
How are data disseminated (Paper, CD Rom, Website, online databases, databanks)?
Paper and website.




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