UN World Data Forum 2026

The sixth UN World Data Forum takes place in Riyadh from 9 to 12 November 2026 at the Sofitel Hotel and Convention Centre, hosted by Saudi Arabia through the General Authority for Statistics and organised by the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It brings together an international community of data and statistics experts and stakeholders from national statistical offices, international organisations, academia, civil society and the private sector.

The provisional programme is built around four thematic areas: innovation for better and more inclusive data; maximizing the use and value of data for better decision making; building trust, protection and ethics in data; and effective partnerships for better data and a more equitable data ecosystem. The forum aims to spur data innovation, nurture partnerships, mobilise high-level political and financial support, and build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. The agenda opens on 9 November with the Second Saudi Statistical Forum, held alongside the main forum at the same venue, followed by the opening ceremony and welcome dinner that evening. The three following days combine high-level plenaries with parallel sessions across ten rooms, learning labs and demonstrations, and close with the closing ceremony on 12 November.

Participation carries no registration fee, but attendance is subject to approval by the forum secretariat. In-person registration runs from 30 June to 1 October 2026 on the United Nations registration platform, and registrants are notified of the decision no later than 9 October 2026. Anyone not approved for in-person attendance can follow the broadcast sessions through a separate virtual track operated by the General Authority for Statistics, with its own registration in Arabic and English. Participants cover their own travel, accommodation and visa costs, with limited secretariat funding reserved for programme contributors, while approved in-person registrants can use airfare discounts subject to seat availability and booking conditions.