New ODIN Results Highlight the State of Open Data in 187 Countries Worldwide

Written by Alyson Marks

Source: Open Data Watch

Open data has not only played a key role in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to be crucial for the dissemination and uptake of the new vaccines, but it’s also been a core component of the data revolution since its inception. But just how many countries around the world are actively making their data open? Last week, we received a snapshot of countries’ progress with the release of the fifth edition of Open Data Watch’s 2020/21 Open Data Inventory (ODIN 2020/21). ODIN 2020/21 assesses the coverage and openness of official statistics for 187 countries worldwide and includes 22 data categories, grouped under social, economic and financial, and environmental statistics. The edition also features a gender index which scores countries on the availability of 20 indicators in 8 statistical categories, such as reproductive health and education outcomes, that require sex-disaggregated data or apply only to women. Some of the most interesting takeaways from this year’s edition include the following:

COVID-19 Did Not Preclude Countries From Making Open Data a Priority 

This past year has been especially challenging for National Statistics Offices (NSOs). Most have had to rapidly adopt new training practices and ways of working, pause face-to-face data collection, and contend with data infrastructure constraints, all while keeping up with the new data demands posed by the pandemic. Yet, despite these obstacles, countries demonstrated their most significant progress on open data to date. The median ODIN score increased by 6.4 points, the largest increase of any year. And as more countries continue to realize the benefits of opening up their data, including improving governance, enhancing trust with their citizens, as well helping to solve major health, disaster, and policy issues, we expect this trend to continue in future years.

African, Caribbean, and Asian Nations Demonstrate the Most Significant Progress

While the top 10 performing countries on ODIN remained primarily European nations (with the exceptions of Singapore ranking #1 and Mongolia ranking #9), countries in the African, Caribbean, and Asian regions also made substantial gains. These included St. Lucia (a score increase of 44 points), Uzbekistan (a score increase of 44 points), Benin (a score increase of 31 points), and Tanzania (a score increase of 23 points). And many of the steps they took to improve their scores were not overly complicated or costly. For instance, Uzbekistan worked to adopt an open data license, publish more indicators, as well as ensure that their data was published in machine-readable and nonproprietary formats throughout their website. Whereas, the Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia launched a new website, adopted a new open terms of use, published more ODIN indicators, and made more metadata available. 

Gender Data Continues to Be a Pain Point

Sex-disaggregated data are critical for understanding women and girls’ experiences on the ground and for effectively targeting policies, especially during COVID-19. Yet, many countries, both high and low-income, still struggle to openly publish their gender data. For instance, high and upper middle-income countries, ranging from Anguilla and St. Kitts and Nevis to China rank among the lowest on the ODIN – Open Gender Data Index (ODIN-OGDI). And not surprisingly, countries that score low on ODIN-OGDI are less able to provide sex-disaggregated data on the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a 13.5 point score difference between countries that were able to provide sex-disaggregated data on both COVID-19 case and death rates and those that were unable to provide this data.

Despite Progress, Open Data Remains a Challenge for Lower-income Countries 

While many low-income countries have made significant advances in their data openness, there is still a stark gap between income groups. For example, the median ODIN scores for high-income countries averaged 62.3 points, whereas low-income countries averaged only 40 points. Low-income countries indicated that publishing their data in machine-readable formats and adopting an open license were among the most challenging obstacles to improving their data openness. These issues underscore the need for increased funding to improve countries’ data management systems to convert data into machine-readable formats, and additional capacity-building efforts, such as Open Data Watch’s technical advice and country training workshops, to better inform countries on how to create an open license. 

As countries work to overcome the obstacles presented by COVID-19 and continue to make advances in the production and collection of their data, improving their open data practices must remain a fundamental component of their efforts. ODIN 2020/21 is an important tool for establishing a baseline to effectively monitor their progress in the years to come.  

For more information on ODIN 2020/21, including the rankings and methodology, visit here. The full report will be released in February 2021 ahead of the UN Statistical Commission.