Official statistics are an indispensable element in the information system of democratic societies, serving governments, economies and the public with data that can help them understand and make decisions: about the economy, about the population, about society and the environment.
In general, official statistics are statistical outputs produced by a national statistical office (NSO) or by other designated governmental bodies. Usually, official statistics describe the economy, demography, environment, social and cultural situations in a particular country, and are produced within the scope of the statistical programme which guides the work of the national statistical system. The term “official statistics” serves as a quality label, indicating that official statistics are developed, produced and disseminated in accordance with internationally agreed statistical standards and recommendations, the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice.
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Geneva
