UNCTAD

Digitally focused indicators are absent within the System of National Accounts, the standard statistical framework for measuring economic activity.

The Digital Supply–Use Tables (Digital SUTs) framework was created to improve the visibility of and information available on digital phenomena while being consistent with the existing national account statistics.

The framework has been designed as a derivation from the Supply-Use Tables (SUTs). However, SUTs are not available in many developing countries and often come infrequently with significant time lags.

This technical note looks at how countries with SUTs can take steps to begin applying the Digital SUTs framework, and how the fundamental principles and approaches set out in the Digital SUTs framework can be applied to key national accounts aggregates that are more widely available in developing countries, without requiring full SUTs.

It points to actions that countries with a limited statistical basis to work from can take to begin compiling Digital SUTs or key indicators following the principles of the framework.