The Handbook on Governance Statistics is the result of a collaborative effort of national statistical offices, international organizations and civil society organizations under the auspices of the Praia Group on Governance Statistics. Its purpose is to provide a foundation for the development of international statistical guidance and standards in all areas of governance statistics. To this end, the Handbook conceptualizes eight dimensions of governance (non-discrimination and equality; participation in political and public affairs; openness; access to and quality of justice; responsiveness; absence of corruption; trust; and safety and security), takes stock of and qualifies existing practices in governance data collection, highlights the most important metrics in each dimension of governance statistics, and discusses the way forward required to achieve international statistical standards in each dimension. A gender perspective is integrated across the various dimensions of governance.