About us
Background
Before 1999, the branch offices in the four states (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae) had been operating independently from each other. They were regulated and budgeted by the respective state governments and each collecting and producing their own statistics. As such, it was often difficult to aggregate these state figures to a “national” figure. The governments recognized the need for single national indicators. This need was further compounded by international requests for such information.
In 1999 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the national government and the state governments, centralizing statistical operations under the national office. The statistics offices in the 4 states are now operating under the national budget, statistics collected by these states get sent to the National Statistics Office for compilation, thus producing statistics representing both the States and National Government.
The National Statistics Office is based at the capital (Palikir) with 8 staff, while branch offices in the 4 states are manned with 3 working staff each.
The Statistics Office is presently known as the “Statistics Division” within the Department of Resources and Development, with the new administration. This change does not affect the division’s roles and responsibilities as stated in the Statistics and Census Act of 1988. However, it is hoped that this change raises the profile of the division.
Mission
We are FSM’s official statistical information agency with a mission to:
promote, develop and provide relevant and timely statistics on the socio-economic activities, as the basis for information, decision making, research and discussion, to all persons and organization; therefore contributing to improving the welfare of the people of FSM.
Our Goals
As the demand for timely and good quality statistics from national, states government and international organisations increased, this poses great challenges for the FSM Statistics Division, taking into account the limited resources the Office will continue to experience. Despite this, the Office will continue to strive to ensure its goals are met. These include:
Design of Data Quality Framework to be used in attempt to improve the quality of the Office’s outputs
Expand coverage of the Office’s Internet website
Ensure all staff attend appropriate training, both national and international levels relevant to subject matter areas for which they are responsible
A Message From the Assistant Secretary
Welcome to FSM Division of Statistics Website.
We would like to thank the many individuals, businesses, and institutions who have contributed their time and effort in responding to our quest for information. Without their goodwill, it would not be possible to provide the reliable information our country needs to plan for its future.
Organized information has always been important in understanding problems, in aiding intelligent decision making, and in providing a means of learning from our experience.
The importance of FSM statistical information increased as the demand from the government for information became more urgent. Statistics provided objective information for the government, for the private sectors, and for FSM people in all walks of life. Such information is useful for designing, evaluating and improving specific programs and policies. Even more important, it serves and continues to serve as a measure of the evolution of our society, economy, and environment.
In recent years, statistical information has become increasingly important. With the government’s new national policies aimed at distributing its services fairly throughout the country, it becomes even more important to have good information to be able to target limited resources to areas of greatest need.
FSM Division of Statistics reputation for high-quality, objective and timely information has gained the confidence of the public both at home and abroad. FSM Division of Statistics is constantly expanding its efforts to make more and more of this information available freely through its Web site. Whether you are looking for statistical information on a particular topic or analysis of our latest surveys, I am sure you will find your visit to our website interesting and informative.
If the information you are looking for is not included on the website or you have queries regarding the statistics presented, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Ms. Brihmer S. Johnson
Assistant Secretary