Washington, DC: Mauritius has adhered to the IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) Plus, the highest tier of the IMF's Data Standards Initiatives . It is the first country in Africa and the 32nd country globally to achieve this milestone in data transparency.
By adhering to the SDDS Plus, Mauritius meets the most rigorous standards for the dissemination of essential macroeconomic and financial data on the state of the economy and its financial linkages, as established in the IMF's Data Standards Initiatives. This achievement underscores the country's strong commitment to data transparency vis-à-vis the public, markets, and the international community.
Enhanced data transparency supports market efficiency, improves the quality of economic policymaking, and strengthens accountability by enabling richer, more informed debate and analysis of economic policy issues.
With the upgrade from SDDS to SDDS Plus, Mauritius is now committed to disseminating new data categories on a more regular basis. These categories include Other Financial Corporations Survey, Financial Soundness Indicators, the Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey, and the Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, among others. In addition, Mauritius will publish more granular information on several data categories that it currently provides under the SDDS.
A comprehensive and up-to-date description of all disseminated data is available on Mauritius's National Summary Data Page ( NSDP ). This metadata provides a standardized framework for assessing data quality and facilitates cross-country comparability. All data series are also available in a machine-readable format.
Welcoming Mauritius's adherence to the SDDS Plus, Bert Kroese, Chief Statistician and Data Officer and Director of the IMF's Statistics Department, noted that "Mauritius's adherence supports more robust macroeconomic and financial analysis and could reinforce its credibility in international capital markets. " Mr. Kroese also added "I hope the achievement encourages more countries to make the transition to SDDS Plus."
The IMF Data Standards Initiatives were established in the mid-1990s to enhance member countries' data transparency as a global public good and promote the development of sound statistical systems. The need for data dissemination standards was highlighted by the financial crises of the mid- and late-1990s when information deficiencies were seen to play a significant role. The MF Executive Board, in its latest review of the Data Standards Initiatives, acknowledged the progress made by several countries in adhering to the SDDS Plus since its introduction in 2015 and encouraged more countries to make the transition.
In addition to the SDDS Plus, the IMF's Data Standards Initiatives include the SDDS and the Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (e-GDDS). Detailed information on the Data Standards Initiatives, as well as Mauritius's SDDS Plus data—including an advance release calendar—are also accessible through the IMF's Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB).
