IMF Working Papers

This paper analyzes the evolution of national accounts statistics compilation practices over the period of 2018 to 2021 for 189 economies. This is useful information for monitoring the quality of national accounts statistics and supporting identification of areas for improvement. Economies can use this data to benchmark their practices to the region and the world. Many economies have made strides in implementing 2008 SNA to better reflect the size and structure of the economy however, there hasn’t been an assessment on how quick the migration is. With the new 2025 SNA vintage on the horizon, it was imperative to check how many economies are using the 2008 SNA vintage as it will provide a clue to how fast authorities will migrate to the new framework. We found that 31 economies have moved to the 2008 SNA between 2018 and 2021. The paper also examined how many economies started compiling quarterly GDP during the period 2018 and 2021.