Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has been granted full autonomy to publish data and reports generated from its activities, following the adoption of two new policies by the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) under the Ministry of Planning.

The “Data Dissemination Policy 2025” and the “Statistical Compilation, Publication and Preservation Policy 2025” were made public on Thursday after receiving formal approval from Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud a day earlier.

With these policies in place, BBS, designated as the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Statistics Act 2013, will no longer require clearance from the SID, the Planning Ministry, or other government bodies to release its findings. Officials say the move aims to strengthen the bureau’s independence, curb political influence, and improve data quality.

Aleya Akter, Secretary of the SID, stated that while the 2013 Act recognised the BBS as the NSO, it did not specify who held the authority to approve publication of its statistics. This ambiguity led to delays and layers of approval from various ministries and sometimes the Prime Minister’s Office.

BBS officials noted that such procedures often invited political interference and contributed to inconsistencies in critical indicators such as GDP growth, inflation, poverty rates, and population data.

Planning Adviser Dr Mahmud told reporters at a press briefing after an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting that the BBS would now be able to release information without signatures or approvals from ministers or higher government authorities.

The SID also noted that while a formal regulation to clarify the Statistics Act is still in progress, the policies were introduced to ensure transparency and expediency in the interim.