World Statistics Day

World Statistics Day History

World Statistics Day is a global observance aimed at recognizing the fundamental importance of statistics in shaping our societies. It is an occasion to highlight the role that statistics play in policy formulation and decision-making, promoting evidence-based governance, development, and monitoring progress towards achieving global goals. It underscores the trustworthiness, accessibility, relevance, and proper use of statistics in forging the path towards sustainable development.

Established in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly, World Statistics Day observed every five years. It draws attention to many achievements in the field of statistics, underlining its significance in the era of big data. In the United Kingdom, this day resonates strongly as the UK has a rich historical association with statistics and is the home to some of the world's most prominent statistical institutions. For instance, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK's largest independent producer of official statistics, emphasises the importance of this day to highlight the entire breadth of their work, whose data help shape the UK's economy, society and democracy.

World Statistics Day in the United Kingdom is marked with various symbolic events and activities promoting the understanding and use of statistics. Institutions like ONS, the Royal Statistical Society, along with universities and research centres, often organise seminars, discussions, and workshops focused on the significance of statistics in different spheres like health, economy, governance, and more. The United Nations designates October 20th as World Statistics Day, with the next expected celebration in 2025. The day signifies an opportunity to show the commitment of the UK to develop and adhere to the use of reliable data and statistics in policymaking and societal progress.

Facts about World Statistics Day

• The theme for World Statistics Day in 2020 was Connecting the world with data we can trust. The next time World Statistics Day is celebrated will be in 2025.
• It was not until the 19th century that statistics began to include all things related to collection, summary and analysis of data. Before the 19th century, data was mainly used to total resources, typically for military and tax purposes around the world.
• The first UK Census took place in 1801, providing meaningful statistical data on the country's population, property types, and employment.
• Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in the visual presentation of statistics. She is credited with developing a form of the pie chart now known as the polar area diagram, or occasionally the Nightingale rose diagram, equivalent to a modern circular histogram to illustrate seasonal sources of patient mortality in the military field hospital she managed.

In the News and Trending in the UK for World Statistics Day

Top things to do in the UK for World Statistics Day

• Spread awareness about the holiday by using the hashtag #WorldStatisticsDay #StatsMatter or #TruthinStats