On 20 October 2026, to mark Statistician’s Day, the national celebration of the statistics profession, and European Statistics Day, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) opened its doors to members of the public interested in the institution’s work and in statistics more broadly. The event brought together more than 140 students, accompanied by their lecturers, from economics, accounting, business administration, mathematics and information technology programmes at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Moldova State University, Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University and other higher education institutions.

NBS management and staff spoke about the institution’s vital mission as the central authority for statistics, the values of the National Statistical System and the role of official data in shaping public policy and supporting the country’s economic and socio-demographic development. The programme included guided tours of the NBS premises, a question-and-answer session and presentations on the official website, the main statistical products available, and internship and employment opportunities.

Particular attention was devoted to presenting the NBS’s recently launched platforms. The GeoStatistica portal (https://geo.statistica.md), officially launched on 20 October, allows users to visualise and explore statistical data using interactive maps at the level of development regions, districts, communes and localities. Participants were shown how to compare indicators across territorial units and download datasets.

Another modern data visualisation tool presented at the event, the International Trade in Goods portal (https://comext.statistica.md), attracted attention for its ability to generate customised tables on the Republic of Moldova’s exports and imports. Users can select a range of variables, including trade flow, time period, partner country, country group, mode of transport and commodity classification, and download the tables in Excel and CSV formats.

Students were also introduced to the Paid Internship Programme in the Civil Service. The programme is intended for students and graduates of educational institutions in the Republic of Moldova and offers them an opportunity to learn about the nature of the NBS’s work, consolidate their knowledge and develop their professional skills. Visitors expressed interest in the innovative methods used to produce official statistics. This interest was also reflected in the results of the competitions organised for visitors, with prizes awarded to the most active participants.

All participants received information materials, in digital and printed formats, on the role of statistical data in society, how to find information easily and career opportunities in statistics.

The Open Day, organised to mark Statistician’s Day and European Statistics Day, is part of a series of NBS activities aimed at improving statistical literacy and education among the general public and younger generations. Such events aim to promote official statistics and increase young people’s interest in careers in data production, dissemination and analysis.

Reference materials:

• Statistician’s Day 2026
• GeoStatistica portal
• International Trade in Goods portal
• Data visualisations