Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2026/27 Assessments Begin in May
by
Open Data Watch
15 April 2026
The Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2026/27 assessments will begin in mid-May 2026.
As the world’s independent measure of the coverage and openness of official statistics and the custodian indicator for SDG 17.18.1, ODIN evaluates how well countries make official data available and accessible. The 2026/27 assessment will cover 197 countries.
National statistical office representatives will soon be contacted and invited to participate in the country review process. Through that process, countries can sign up to review the datasets and sources that Open Data Watch (ODW) plans to use in the assessment and can suggest other or better sources that may have been overlooked.
If your office has not previously participated in the review process, if your contact information has changed, or if you do not receive an invitation, please contact ODW at odin-input@opendatawatch.com.
What’s new in ODIN 2026/27?
This year’s round includes several important updates.
Digital connectivity data will now count toward ODIN scores
In the last round, ODIN piloted a new digital connectivity category but did not include it in country scores. In ODIN 2026/27, that category will now be included in scoring.
The category includes two indicators:
- internet use
- mobile network access
Continued refinements to open license assessments
ODW has continued to refine how it evaluates open data licenses and website or portal terms of use. As a result, some countries’ licensing classifications have changed, reflecting ODW’s improved ability to identify restrictive or problematic language that can limit openness. Importantly, this does not reflect a change in ODIN’s licensing criteria or scoring methodology. Rather, it reflects ODW’s increased ability to analyze licenses and terms of use and to identify language that may impede openness.
Over the past several months, ODW has been actively engaging with countries whose classifications may be affected. These targeted communications explain the issues in detail and provide clear, actionable guidance on how to align licenses and terms of use with global open data standards. Countries that take steps to update their licenses before the end of the research period (September) will see those improvements reflected in this year’s assessment—reinforcing ODIN’s role not just as a measurement tool, but as a catalyst for more open, usable data worldwide.
Post-publication corrections policy
ODW has also formalized its post-publication corrections policy. This is less a change in practice than a clearer statement of the approach used in recent ODIN rounds.
Under the policy:
- Correction requests must be submitted within 45 days of the annual ODIN release;
- Requests must relate to factual errors involving data from the ODIN research period;
- ODW will review complete requests and communicate a final decision within 30 days; and
- Only correction to major errors — those that change a country’s overall score by at least 0.5 points — will be incorporated into the post-publication update.
The policy also makes clear that the regular country review process before publication remains the main opportunity for countries to review dataset selections, clarify sources, and request corrections before the ODIN release. Post-publication corrections are not intended as a replacement for the country review process (see more below).
How can countries participate in the review process?
As in previous rounds, the review process is an important part of ODIN’s quality assurance.
Country representatives who participate will be able to:
- review the datasets and sources identified for their country;
- flag sources that may have been missed;
- suggest more appropriate official sources; and
- help ensure that the assessment reflects the strongest available evidence from across the national statistical system.
National statistics office representatives from countries can sign up for the review process . Email invitations will also be sent to previous points of contact.
Is the Methodology Guide available?
The updated ODIN Methodology Guide 2026/27 is available here.
A spreadsheet listing the indicators included in the assessment is available in English, Spanish and French. Download the Excel version here or view it online here.
