Meeting of Heads of National Statistical Offices of BRICS Countries

The two-day meeting of Heads of National Statistical Offices (NSO) of BRICS Member Countries was inaugurated under the Chairship of India on 03 August 2026, at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The event brought together more than 350 participants including representatives from National Statistical Offices of BRICS, policy makers, academia, think-tanks, civil society organisation and technical experts.

uided under the overarching theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability (BRICS), the BRICS Statistics track, India has adopted the theme “Quality Statistics as Driver of Change”, reflecting an unwavering commitment to data quality, innovation, effective dissemination, and people-centric statistical systems that are responsive to rapid technological advancements, the growing demand for high-frequency and granular data, and the increasing reliance on official statistics to support evidence-based, sustainable, and inclusive development.

The inaugural session of the Meeting of Heads of National Statistical Offices was initiated with an introduction by DG (Data Governance), MoSPI followed by an address by Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Planning and Programme Implementation, Uttar Pradesh.

Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI and Chair of BRICS 2026 Statistics Track welcomed the delegates to the two-day event and highlighted key priorities of the BRICS Statistics Track 2026 centered on “Quality Statistics as a Driver of Change” including modernizing national statistical systems, utilizing administrative data and digital public infrastructure, and enhancing data governance and privacy standards.

A draft BRICS Joint Statistical Publication (JSP), 2026 and Snapshot BRICS JSP 2026 were released on August 3, 2026 during the meeting. Any additional inputs or comments from BRICS member countries shall be incorporated subject to consensus of BRICS member countries. (UPDATED ON 3RD AUGUST 2026)