World Statistics Day: Here's everything about its history, significance & how to celebrate

World Statistics Day is observed every five years on October 20 across the world to honour the accomplishments of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The day intends to raise awareness about official statistics' accomplishments, which are based on the ideals of service, professionalism, and integrity.

The Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic Affairs coordinates the international campaign for Statistics Day. National Statistical Offices serve as national coordinators all across the world. They also plan events and outreach, besides translating promotional materials into common languages. The third World Statistics Day was commemorated on October 20, 2020, and the next will be observed by the UN on October 20, 2025. 

World Statistics Day: History

The United Nations Statistical Commission was established in 1947. The Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics were only established by the Commission in 1994. The decision to commemorate World Statistics Day was made at the UN Statistical Commission's 41st session in February 2010. On October 20, 2010, the first World Statistics Day was observed, with the theme "Celebrating the many achievements of official statistics".

The day was commemorated in honour of the UNSD's continual flow of information to people all around the world in order to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability. Meanwhile, the theme for World Statistics Day 2020 was "Connecting the world with data we can trust". The theme intended to highlight the importance of authoritative data, trust, innovation, and public welfare in the statistical systems of nations.

World Statistics Day: Significance

It should be mentioned here that academic research, as well as the development of civic society and enterprises, rely heavily on statistics. Statistics are critical to any country's social and economic progress. World Statistics Day honours the process of accumulating, analysing, and interpreting large volumes of data in order to improve society. On this day, countries join together to collaborate on statistical management and devote greater resources to the data collection process.

How to celebrate the day?

World Statistics Day gives people the chance to learn about all kinds of intriguing numbers and data from businesses and industries. For many businesses and organisations, social media has become the most important source of data for understanding trends and people's likes and dislikes. Every individual can participate in World Statistics Day by sharing and researching intriguing data from certified databases on sports, the environment, society, politics, art, and crime. The information will aid future decision-making in these important areas of society. 

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