Quarterly Update on the Special Data Dissemination Standard

Fourth Quarter 2009

February 24, 2010

Observance Status

As of the end of the fourth quarter of 2009, all 66 SDDS subscribers were in observance of the SDDS requirements for the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of the data and for the dissemination of advance release calendars (ARCs) (Table 1). The IMF’s Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB) disseminates a complete list of SDDS subscribers. Recording the observance of SDDS metadata requirements for summary methodologies is discontinued; it has become obsolete because all metadata are presented using the Data Quality Assessment Framework structure.

Table 1. SDDS Indicators
Indicators	As of December 31, 2008	As of September 30, 2009	As of December 31, 2009
Number of subscribers	64	64	66
Number of countries officially in observance¹	64	64	66
¹ Observance of the requirements of the SDDS with respect to the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of the data and the use of ARCs. Other elements of the SDDS dealing with the integrity and quality of the data are on a self-disclosure basis, with subscribers providing information on which users can make their own judgments. A subscriber experiencing difficulties in meeting SDDS requirements is not automatically in “nonobservance” of the SDDS. When deviations from SDDS requirements occur, the IMF staff tries to resolve the issue with the subscriber, and then, if necessary, through the Executive Director. If these efforts fail, the matter is brought to the attention of the subscriber’s Governor for the Fund. A subscriber is officially declared in “nonobservance” only when a note to that effect is posted on the DSBB.

Monitoring Punctuality of Data Releases

The IMF monitors the punctuality of data releases of each SDDS subscriber. Punctuality is monitored by comparing the first appearance of new information on the subscriber’s National Summary Data Page (NSDP) against the last release date announced in the subscriber’s ARC for each of the SDDS data categories. The ARC release dates should meet the SDDS timeliness requirements for the various data categories. Table 2 contains monitoring results for the fourth quarter of 2009, showing comparisons with results for the third quarter of 2009, and those for the fourth quarter of 2008. Quarter on quarter, the punctuality of data releases for the fourth quarter of 2009 increased for monthly data categories (except production index, consumer prices, producer prices, central government operations, and reserves template), and for annual data categories (except international investment position), but decreased for quarterly data categories (except wages and earnings).Year on year, the punctuality of data releases for the fourth quarter of 2009 increased for annual data categories, but decreased for monthly data categories (except analytical accounts of the banking sector, and merchandise trade), and for quarterly data categories (except wages and earnings, and balance of payments). Compared with historical averages since the third quarter of 2000, when monitoring was introduced, the punctuality of data releases for the fourth quarter of 2009 increased for annual data categories (except international investment position), but decreased for monthly data categories (except central government operations, analytical accounts of the banking sector, analytical accounts of the central bank, and merchandise trade), and for quarterly data categories (except wages and earnings, central government debt, and balance of payments).