Core List of ICT Indicators

"ICTs are cross-cutting enablers of development and are therefore critical to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)."

Composed of 14 regional and international organisations, the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative that was launched in 2004 to improve the availability and quality of information and communication technology (ICT) data and indicators, particularly in developing countries. In its effort to guide policymakers and countries in measuring the information society, the Partnership has identified a core list of indicators. This list of over 60 indicators, which was agreed upon through a consultation process involving governments and international organisations, covers the following areas: ICT infrastructure and access; access and use of ICT by households and individuals; use of ICT by businesses; the ICT sector; trade in ICT goods; ICT in education; and e-government. The list has been endorsed by the United Nations (UN) Statistical Commission (last in 2014).

Intended as a basis for ICT data collection in countries, the indicators included in the core list are clearly defined and based on internationally agreed standards (especially those developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Eurostat), which allows comparability across countries. An increasing number of countries are integrating the core list of ICT indicators into their existing data collection mechanisms, including household and business surveys. Members of the Partnership are providing assistance in this process, including through capacity-building and hands-on training for national statistical offices.

The development of ICT indicators is a continuous process, and the list will undergo periodic review. As countries gain experience in the collection of ICT data, and as policy needs evolve, indicators may be modified, removed, or added. "This offers the ICT community the opportunity to highlight the importance of ICT for the achievement of the SDGs, and to ensure the inclusion of ICT indicators within the SDG monitoring framework."