US to Publish Economic Data on Blockchain, Commerce Chief Says

• Commerce Department to begin publishing GDP data on blockchain.
• Secretary Howard Lutnick calls Trump the “crypto president.”
• Plan to expand to other key economic stats after GDP rollout.
• Move mirrors global blockchain adoption in public sector (Estonia, EU, Singapore, California DMV).
• Blockchain ensures tamper-proof storage and distribution, but not accuracy of input data.
• Announcement follows Trump’s recent disputes over “rigged” economic reports.

The U.S. Commerce Department is preparing to bring blockchain technology into the heart of government data reporting. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced Tuesday that the agency will begin publishing gross domestic product (GDP) figures on the blockchain, making the U.S. one of the first major economies to distribute official statistics on a decentralized ledger.

Speaking during a White House cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump and senior officials, Lutnick described the effort as a step toward transparency and modernization. “The Department of Commerce is going to start issuing its statistics on the blockchain, because you are the crypto president, and we are going to put our GDP on the blockchain so people can use it for data and distribution,” Lutnick said.

The rollout will begin with GDP data before expanding to other key economic indicators, once technical details are finalized. The goal, according to Lutnick, is to provide verifiable, tamper-proof data streams to both citizens and businesses, creating a new level of trust in government-released statistics.

Global precedents

The U.S. initiative follows years of experimentation by other governments. Estonia integrated Guardtime’s KSI blockchain into its healthcare system back in 2016, later expanding it into its national ID infrastructure. The European Union launched the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) in 2018, enabling cross-border services across member states. In 2021, Singapore and Australia tested blockchain for trade documents, while in 2024, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles digitized more than 42 million car titles on Avalanche to curb fraud.

These examples highlight how blockchain can deliver secure, transparent, and efficient recordkeeping for public services — a trend Washington now appears ready to embrace at scale.

Politics and trust in data

The timing of the announcement is notable. President Trump has repeatedly criticized the reliability of official economic reports. Earlier this year, he dismissed negative GDP forecasts and even fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a jobs report showed weak hiring numbers. Economists warned that politicizing the data could damage trust in U.S. institutions, but blockchain distribution may offer a partial solution by ensuring the integrity of published figures.

Still, experts caution that while blockchain can secure the way data is stored and shared, it cannot guarantee the accuracy of the underlying numbers. If government agencies input biased or incorrect figures, the blockchain will only preserve them more securely — not correct them.

Final Thought

The Commerce Department’s move to put U.S. economic data on blockchain represents a major milestone in government adoption of decentralized technology. By starting with GDP and expanding further, Washington signals that blockchain isn’t just for crypto markets — it’s becoming a foundation for national data infrastructure. But while tamper-proof ledgers can strengthen trust in distribution, the real test will be whether the data itself earns public confidence.