When disability data are missing, so are the people they represent. A new guidebook sets out to change that, making sure everyone is counted and helping build disability-inclusive societies.
The Pacific Group on Disability Statistics, supported by the Pacific Community (SPC) and partners, has launched new regional guidance on best practice in disability statistics, celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities and its 2025 theme ‘Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.’
The Pacific Regional Guidebook on Disability Statistics is designed to tackle a problem that has long undermined efforts to achieve this vision: the absence of consistent, comparable data on disability.
Across the Pacific, people with disabilities often remain inadequately represented in official statistics, explains Ms Evelyn Wareham, Deputy Director of SPC’s Statistics for Development Division. This invisibility translates into a lack of evidence for properly informed decision-making, she says.
“In government, a lack of data can mean policies built on guesswork rather than evidence, on everything from education, health, employment to social protections. For citizens and communities, it can mean biases and barriers persist unchecked.
“This new guidebook equips Pacific Island countries and territories with the tools to make the voices and perspectives of people with disabilities visible in data and, therefore, in decision-making.”
Turning vision into action
The guidebook is an achievement of the Pacific Group on Disability Statistics, a collective of national statistical offices, organisations of persons with disabilities, advocates, CROP agencies and development partners formed to improve the quality of disability data across the region.
Inspired by—and under the umbrella of—the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, the major goal of both groups is to strengthen statistics on disability that are comparable across borders. The use of standard question sets that ask about functioning make the resulting data both relatable to everyday life and internationally comparable.
The Pacific Group has set ambitious goals, including the inclusion of the Washington Group questions in all censuses and household surveys conducted by the statistical offices of the Pacific by 2030. So far, 17 of the 22 countries and territories have incorporated the Washington Group questions into at least one of their censuses or household surveys.
“The timing is critical,” says Ms Taiaopo Faumuina of the Samoa Bureau of Statistics, co-chair and a founding member of the Pacific Group on Disability Statistics.
“Many countries are preparing for upcoming censuses and household surveys, and the guidebook offers a clear roadmap for integrating disability modules. It also aligns with regional priorities under the Strategic Framework for Pacific Statistics and global commitments to leave no-one behind.”
From questions to insights
Designed for practical, real-world use, the new publication provides step-by-step guidance for incorporating internationally recognised disability measures into statistical collections, using the Washington Group question sets as a foundation.
For analysis, it offers templates, tabulation plans, and even R and Stata code—tools that can save time and strengthen capacity in Pacific statistical offices which often have thin resourcing.
The guidebook also tackles statistical dissemination, with recommendations for visualising and sharing results in ways that policymakers and communities can understand, and lists indicators aligned with monitoring progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Importantly, it addresses intersectionality—capturing gender, age and other dimensions—so that data reflect the richness of lived experience.
These practical tools enable statistical teams to move beyond raw numbers and produce insights that help inform inclusive policies on schooling, healthcare, jobs, and safety nets like social security. The guidebook will be supported by a regional programme of training and technical support over the next two years.
A Pacific partnership
The product of collective effort, SPC led development with technical input from the Nossal Institute for Global Health and review by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. Partners included UNICEF, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Pacific Disability Forum, while the Government of Australia provided financial support.
In May, a design workshop in Nadi, Fiji, brought together representatives from 10 Pacific Island countries and territories to share experiences and shape the guidebook. Their contributions ensured that the resource reflects regional realities and responds to member needs.
Finally, the guidebook was introduced to SPC’s members, donors and development partners at the 7th Regional Conference of Heads of Planning and Statistics (HOPS7) in Wellington, New Zealand, last month. Launched at the iconic Beehive, the setting served as a powerful symbol of taking disability data to the heart of government.
“Presenting the Regional Guidebook at New Zealand’s Parliament was a message that progress depends on visibility,” Ms Wareham said.
“Without reliable disability statistics, governments can neither design inclusive policies, nor monitor their regional and international commitments. In adopting the best practice captured in the guidebook, Pacific Islands can harmonise data collection, strengthen capacity, and ensure that all their people are counted—and considered—in national plans.”
- Read the Pacific Regional Guidebook on Disability Statistics
- Read the Disability Statistics Toolkit: Monograph Template and Analytical Code
For more information on this story, contact Mr Ben Campion, Communications Adviser, Statistics for Development Division, Pacific Community (SPC).
