tilastoviraston

A tilastovirasto, or statistical office, is a government agency responsible for producing official statistics for the state and its citizens. Its core functions include collecting, validating, analyzing, and disseminating quantitative data that describe the economy, society, and environment. The office typically operates under a legal mandate, and aims to provide timely, objective, and comparable statistics to support decision-making, research, and public accountability.

Key activities include designing and conducting censuses and surveys, coordinating data collection from administrative registers, and maintaining statistical frameworks and classifications. It publishes regular indicators such as gross domestic product, unemployment rates, consumer price indices, population counts, and health and education statistics. Data are released through public portals, reports, and datasets, with metadata and quality assessments to help users interpret results.

Statistical offices adhere to principles of independence, methodological transparency, and confidentiality. Although they strive for objectivity, they produce statistics using defined statistical standards and international classifications. Personal data are protected, and may be used only under legal rules and with privacy safeguards.

Organization and governance vary by country. Some tilastovirastot operate as independent bodies; others are part of ministries. They coordinate with national statistical councils or boards to approve methodology and priorities.

Internationally, tilastovirastot participate in networks and collaborations with organizations such as the United Nations, Eurostat, and OECD to harmonize methods, compare indicators, and share best practices. In Finland, the national statistical office is called Tilastokeskus (Statistics Finland); tilastovirasto remains a generic term for any country's statistical office.