El Salvador Legislature Enacts Statistical Law Reforms Expanding Central Bank’s Role

El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly voted 57‑to‑0 to amend ten articles of the Special Law on Statistics and Censuses. The changes introduce the concepts of a “census round” – encompassing population, housing, economic, agricultural, fisheries censuses and the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey – and “special surveys” that can be requested by the president or other state bodies for targeted data collection.

The reforms broaden the Central Reserve Bank’s (BCR) authority to coordinate, systematise and conduct these surveys through the National Office of Statistics and Censuses (ONEC). They also require cooperation from public entities such as municipalities, the Lempa River Hydroelectric Executive Commission and the Social Security Institute in providing information for statistical activities. The amendments take effect once published in the official gazette.

Deputy Ana Figueroa emphasized the importance of accurate data, stating, “Countries cannot build efficient public policies if they do not precisely know the reality of their population.”