Socio-economic development of every country is measured by a set of indicators covering the economy, the environment, the social sectors and the spatial aspects of development. Development specialists have long agreed on the importance of indicators for informed policy decisions making and the monitoring of progress towards achievement of development goals.

The range of indicators necessary to monitor the progress of sustainable development is extensive given that it focuses on development that integrates economic, social, demographic and environmental considerations into mainstream policy at every stage of policy identification, policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Development indicators should be constructed as a result of a multi-dimensional process involving extensive consultation and co-ordination with government agencies, NGO’s, regional organizations and the international development community of organizations.

In choosing the set of economic, spatial, social and environmental indicators we tried to ensure linkage with the development planning process bringing on board the full range of ministries and departments to ensure strong co- ordination and involvement. In the indicators hot- linked above, we have tried to build on existing databases and not develop any new set of indicators. However, in co-operation with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Economic Affairs Division, we have embarked upon the development of an extensive list of Social Development Indicators for the British Virgin Islands covering all the areas indicated above.

The indicators on this website are designed to afford readers a broad appreciation of the progress of the country and to broaden public awareness of how the development process is monitored and evaluated. The social development indicators cover areas such as sustainable development, human rights, gender, empowerment, children, youths, the elderly, poverty and sustainable livelihoods in addition to the full range of conventional indicators.

Economic indicators are used to determine the progress of the macro economy. In this connection such indictors concentrate on employment, output and inflation. Typically economic indicators are derived from national accounts, balance of payments, money and banking, prices, employment and government finance. In the context of the British Virgin Islands, with its extremely open service economy, it is a challenge to compile macro economic accounts. However, they must be compiled based on internationally accepted conventions such as the United Nations Standards National Accounts (SNA) and International Monetary Fund Balance of Payment manual.

The employment statistics in this package of indicators are compiled in accordance to classifications and concepts in the various manuals of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Tourism Statistics on this website are compiled in accordance with concepts and classifications of the World Tourism Organization (WTO). External trade statistics placed for viewing by our readers are compiled in accordance with the standard International Trade Classification (SITC) using customs declaration and the Eurotrace software package.

Economic indicators give an abstract view of the progress of development whereas spatial or physical indicators provide a picture of the change in the physical features of the British Virgin Islands. The physical/spatial indicators prepared for this website are not intended to serve as environmental indictors. The indictors are designed to measure the physical development in terms of structures, congestion, the need for transport, the concentration of people, housing and the availability of social services.

To measure the goodness of our physical planning, we have included statistics on development applications accepted and rejected as well as their types and locations within the country. Indicators on land use/ land distribution are included to highlight the pattern of physical development. Data on social facilities such as parks, community centers, schools, churches, medical centers and recreation centers are intended to shed some light on the access to health, education, community amenities, sports, recreation and entertainment.

Transport facilities and the means of transport are critical factors in the mobility of populations. Mobility of the population is important for work, pleasure and productivity in general. To this end, we have included statistics on vehicle registration and the road network. A demographic profile of the British Virgin Islands is important given its rapid changing population through immigration. Mindful of this fact, we have included indicators on population density and housing units.

Physical planning indicators would be incomplete without information on water, economic activity and historical sites. Our economy is driven in large measure by tourist activities hence national parks and historic sites are important in terms of attracting tourists. Data on rainfall is included to indicate the availability of water for domestic consumption and commercial/industrial use. The distribution of economic activity throughout the country provides an indication of how well we are achieving balanced development. Indicators on the concentration of economic activity are included to measure our progress toward this goal.

Within the last decade, social progress has taken on a new dimension as accelerated economic growth and development brought into sharper focus the imbalance between the social and economic sectors. In the context of the British Virgin Islands social indictors are used to evaluate the effectiveness of social policies and strategies. It is essential to ascertain whether or not policies achieve their targeted outcomes.

People are at the centre of development and population policy is in fact the most comprehensive and impacting social policy a country formulates. Population policy is broad and so is the list of population indicators. Human resources development is another broad social area including health and education. Education is a key component in human resources in the development of a service economy anchored by tourism and financial services. Recognizing the importance of human resources for our service economy, education indicators are included on this website. Health is an equally important indictor of human resources development, and so this site carries a list of health indicators.

Social progress covers social security as well as social welfare; accordingly, social indicators must cover these areas to be relevant. The personal security of our people is of prime concern as reflected in the level of resources allocated to crime prevention and justice year-after-year. In this connection we present a moderate list of indicators on social security, social welfare and crime prevention and justice.

Social progress indicators must shed light on improvement of the status of traditionally marginalized groups such as women and groups which require extra attention such as children and youth. On our website we are pleased to present indicators on women in development and children and youth in the British Virgin Islands.

The environment is critical to the production of tourist services in the British Virgin Islands. Tourists visit our country because of our environment. Without our pristine, clean waters for sailing and our white sandy beaches, this country would not be the tourist destination it is today. The indicators placed on this site are intended to show if we are managing our environment in a sustainable way. We want the environmental indicators to signal the extent of policy affecting outcomes in a favorable way for the environment.

We are primarily interested in how well we are able to avoid the negative impacts of waste on our land, air and sea. In this connection, we have prepared some basic indicators on waste management in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Fisheries. To monitor the extent of sustainable use of our major natural resources, indicators on resource use and over-exploitation of reef fish.

We are further interested in how the excavation of hillsides to build homes, cutting roads and removal of trees impact on our marine habitats where young species are born. We are also concerned about the biodiversity of the British Virgin Islands given that we have included indicators on biodiversity changes. In terms of the impact of land works on the marine environment, we have included indicators on siltation of near-shore habitats and water quality.