The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is the principal official statistical agency of the Government of South Sudan; having been established under Article 193 of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan that came into force on 9th July 2011. The NBS is mandated to:

1. Conduct all censuses and surveys that are carried out throughout South Sudan

2. Collect, compile, analyze and publish all statistical information on economic, social, demographic, environmental and general conditions and activities on the people of South Sudan

3. Monitor and evaluate social impacts of public policies, programmes and projects; and

4. Monitor the progress of poverty alleviation and the attainment of Millennium Development Goal

Vision

To be the preeminent collector and source of quality statistical information on economic, demographic, social, environmental and livelihood conditions in South Sudan.

Mission

To facilitate and inform the decision-making process within government, business community, general public and stimulate research and inform public debate through the provision of readily accessible, relevant, reliable and timely statistics in the economic, demographic, social and environmental fields and a quality statistical, monitoring and evaluation services in general.

History

The principal official statistical agency for Southern Sudan was first established way back in 1995 when it functioned as a Database and Monitoring Unit under the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA). Over time, the unit evolved and was renamed the New Sudan Centre for Statistics and Evaluation (NSCSE) in 2003 under the then SPLM/SPLA administration in the then SPLM-controlled areas of Southern Sudan. The Centre was established with a mandate to develop the necessary capacity to become the professional source and effective provider of official statistical information for the SPLM-controlled areas. This was in response to the urgent need for basic statistical data in order to support decision-making and enable programme and policy monitoring in the South.

Later, under the Southern Sudan Interim Constitution in 2005, its name was changed to the Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation (SSCCSE) and assigned specific mandates.

Today, the NBS is an autonomous statistics bureau of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), and is responsible for collecting, coordinating, analyzing and disseminating all official statistical information on economic, social, demographic, environmental and general activities and conditions of the people of South Sudan. The NBS is also responsible for conducting all official censuses and surveys in South Sudan, monitor and evaluate social impacts of public policies, projects, programmes and monitor the progress of poverty alleviation and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Overall Goals and Objectives of the NBS

1. Collect, compile, analyze and publish all official statistics on economic, social, demographic, environmental and general activities and conditions of the people of South Sudan

2. Conduct all censuses and surveys that are carried out throughout South Sudan

3. Monitor and evaluate social impacts of public policies, projects and programs

4. Monitor the progress of poverty eradication and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, and

5. Establish statistical standards and ensure adherence by all producers of statistics

The Specific Functions of the NBS

The functions of the NBS are spelt out in the Act that established the NBS in January 2004. They include the following:

1. Carry out Censuses and relevant surveys in the South Sudan

2. Promote and develop integrated socio-economic statistics pertaining to South Sudan and each region thereof and co-ordinate plans for the integration of those statistics and keep these plans under review.

3. Establish statistical standards and their use by all producers of statistics so as to facilitate integration and comparison.

4. Co-ordinate statistics and data collection activities so as to avoid duplication ensure economic use of resources and reduce the burden on respondents.

5. Collect, compile, analyse and disseminate statistics and related information on social, economic, demographic and environmental activities.

6. Maintain an inventory of available and relevant information in the South Sudan.

7. Assist users of statistical information in obtaining international statistics and information.

8. Provide statistical, monitoring and evaluation services and professional assistance to official bodies, civil society, researchers and international institutions and the public in general.

9. Provide the contact point for international organizations and researchers in need of statistics and information on the South Sudan.

10. Act as a contact point for international organizations and foreign institutions in the need of statistics on matters relating to South Sudan.