Final evaluation report
The Statistics That Improve Lives Globally (SILG) project delivered measurable improvements in data quality, efficiency, and institutional resilience. It strengthened technical capacity through innovations like census digitalisation and Consumer Price Index automation, enhanced governance frameworks, and raised the profile of partner national statistical offices (NSOs) regionally and internationally.
High-quality statistics that improve lives globally
The high-quality Statistics that Improve Lives Globally (SILG) project, led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), strengthens the capacity of national statistical offices (NSOs) in low- and middle-income countries to produce high-quality, trusted, and policy-relevant data. SILG works with partners through a collaborative, peer-to-peer approach to provide technical and strategic support focused on their priorities, helping them make evidence-based decisions nationally and globally.
This end-term evaluation, independently conducted by NatCen and WPI Economics, is based on evidence drawn from 38 interviews, document reviews, and monitoring data across nine partnerships.
Findings
The evaluation confirms the Statistics that Improve Lives Globally (SILG) project's unique peer-to-peer support model's strength in the development landscape. Unlike donor-driven approaches, our credibility as a peer national statistical office (NSO) built trust and encouraged local NSOs to take up our methods and tools, adapting them to their contexts. SILG's flexible and layered approach also allowed for these to be adapted to changing partner needs, ensuring relevance and sustained engagement.
This included alignment with national strategies, leadership buy-in, motivated staff, adviser visibility, and coordination with other partners. Embedded adviser models promoted deep integration and real-time problem solving, while unembedded models offered cost-efficiency and adaptability in fragile contexts. Both models achieved notable successes, with evidence of knock-on effects on benefits, such as Ghana's Consumer Prices Index (CPI) automation influencing regional practices and Rwanda's leadership in hosting the UN Big Data Hub.
Impacts
The project delivered measurable improvements in data quality, efficiency and institutional resilience. The Statistics that Improve Lives Globally (SILG) project contributed to three long-term outcomes:
improved institutional performance through innovations such as census digitalisation and Consumer Prices Index (CPI) automation, reducing processing times and improving data quality
institutionalisation of good practice, including the adoption of data governance frameworks and leadership development initiatives
raised profile and legitimacy of national statistical offices (NSOs), with partners such as Rwanda and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) emerging as regional leaders in data science
Additional impacts included reputational gains for the ONS, and knock-on effects of skills transfer across regions.
Value for money was rated as "good" overall on a four-point scale (poor, adequate, good, or excellent), with strong performance in economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. There is scope for further improvement in equity, which helps demonstrate equitable outcomes.
Next Steps
We welcome the evaluation and are acting on its insights to strengthen future international development projects. As the Statistics that Improve Lives Globally (SILG) project concludes, its recommendations will guide new initiatives in ensuring impact, sustainability, and alignment with global priorities.
Future work will focus on areas where we believe we can add most value through our expertise, such as census modernisation, automation, and data governance,while maintaining flexibility to partner needs. Sustainability planning will be embedded through transition strategies. Equity will be developed by embedding inclusive practices. Monitoring will be strengthened with standardised activity tracking and clearer links between outputs and outcomes.