Official statistics

Official statistics are numbers collected by governments and other organisations, like universities and charities, to help them understand how people and places are changing over time. They use these numbers to make decisions and create policies to make sure everyone in the country has a fair chance to achieve their potential. For example, these organisations might collect the number of people living in a city so they can decide how much money to spend on building roads and schools. They might also collect information on what type of jobs people are doing to help them create jobs programs to help people learn new skills. Official statistics can be really helpful in making sure people have a safe and successful life.