Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies International Atomic Energy Agency United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs International Energy Agency Eurostat European Environment Agency

3.5
Data and Statistics for the Indicators 
For indicators to be reliable and useful tools, they must have a solid base in valid and 
consistent statistical data. Obtaining reliable, accurate, comprehensive, recent data 
requires considerable effort. The indicators have been structured to make this task as 
straightforward as possible, and the methodology sheets in this report are designed to 
facilitate the process. Introducing the EISD at the national level will necessarily be an 
improvement in statistical arrangements and analytical capabilities. 
The indicators should also help to clarify for each country where its priorities lie. This 
will help it to concentrate its statistical abilities in the most appropriate areas. Since 
the energy indicators mark social, economic and environmental trends, they will be 
useful to the relevant government departments, which have their own databases. This 
should help to improve the databases and coordinate the statistical services of these 
departments. 
3.6
Auxiliary Statistics/Indicators 
The construction and interpretation of energy indicators require the use of a number of 
auxiliary statistics that measure, for example, demographics, wealth, economic 
development, transport, urbanization, etc. Some of these statistics include 
• Population. 
• GDP per capita. 
2
OECD, 2000. Environmental Performance Indicators: OECD Overview, in Towards Sustainable 
Development: Indicators to Measure Progress, Proceedings of the OECD Rome Conference. Paris, 
France: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 
3
EEA, 
2002. 
Energy and Environment in the European Union. Environmental issue report no. 31. 
Copenhagen, Denmark: European Environment Agency. 

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• Shares of sectors in GDP value added. 
• Distance travelled per capita.
• Freight transport activity. 
• Floor area per capita. 
• Manufacturing value added for selected industries. 
• Income inequality. 
These statistics may serve as indispensable components for the formulation of some 
of the indicators in the EISD core set, or as complements to their analysis and 
interpretation.