The government has prepared a draft forensic audit report on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to improve the transparency and reliability of national accounts, while the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has begun preliminary surveys to rebase and revise GDP using FY26 as the new base year, replacing the current base year of FY15.
The developments were reported at the first meeting of the National Advisory Council for Statistics (NACS) for FY27 today (11 November), chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury at the NEC Conference Room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The meeting reviewed progress on modernising the national statistical system, amending the Statistics Act 2013 and conducting the GDP forensic audit. Officials said the rebasing exercise would provide updated data for national accounts and improve estimates of different sectors’ contributions to the economy.
An expert committee has recommended amendments to the Statistics Act 2013, incorporating the National Statistical System (NSS), National Statistical Office, administrative data, big data and the United Nations’ Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (FPOS). A final amendment proposal is being prepared.
The meeting also reviewed the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) 2026-30, whose final draft is being aligned with the government’s Five-Year Strategic Framework for July 2026 to June 2031, the election manifesto and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For digital data collection, the BBS is using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) through tablets and computers, with field activities monitored through the Network Operations Centre (NOC) dashboard. The master plan for an Integrated Statistical Data Warehouse (ISDW) has been finalised to centrally preserve census and survey data for future research and policymaking.
A Microdata Analysis Lab (MAL) has also been established at the BBS, while the draft Data and Microdata Dissemination and Access Policy 2026 has been completed to facilitate access for researchers and other users.
A technical committee comprising university statistics faculty and representatives of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and General Economics Division (GED) is reviewing sample sizes and market coverage to improve Consumer Price Index (CPI) accuracy. The BBS has also begun joint activities with the Department of Food to monitor rice prices and verify market data.
Fieldwork is under way for the Ethnic Communities Survey 2026, Passenger Water Transport Census 2026 and an assessment of the tourism sector’s economic contribution.
The meeting stressed regular, secure revenue budget allocations for major statistical exercises, including the Population and Housing Census, Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES), Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Sample Vital Registration System (SVRS), warning that irregular funding could undermine their continuity and quality.
It also decided to implement the BBS Reform Task Force recommendations and strengthen the bureau’s administrative and staffing structures to improve statistical quality, transparency and accountability.
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