Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

A/RES/68/261View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 9 Report of the Economic and Social Council, published in 2013.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

6 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited
Subprogramme 4	Statistics	21
Subprogramme 4	Data and statistics	12
Subprogramme 3	Statistics	19
Subprogramme 10	Statistics	6
Subprogramme 7	Statistics	18

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

6 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
Subprogramme 4	Statistics	21	—
Subprogramme 4	Data and statistics	12	—
Subprogramme 3	Statistics	19	—
Subprogramme 10	Statistics	6	—
Subprogramme 7	Statistics	18	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

1 subject

Statistics

What’s in this document?

1 operative paragraph

Endorses the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics set out below, as adopted by the Statistical Commission in 1994³ and reaffirmed in 2013, and endorsed by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 2013/21 of 24 July 2013:

³For the original preamble used on the occasion of the initial adoption of the Fundamental Principles in 1994, see chapter V of the report of the Statistical Commission on its special session (Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1994, Supplement No. 9 (E/1994/29)). More information on the Fundamental Principles and their history is available from the website of the Statistics Division.

Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

Principle 1. Official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the Government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation. To this end, official statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens’ entitlement to public information.

Principle 2. To retain trust in official statistics, the statistical agencies need to decide according to strictly professional considerations, including scientific principles and professional ethics, on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage and presentation of statistical data.

Principle 3. To facilitate a correct interpretation of the data, the statistical agencies are to present information according to scientific standards on the sources, methods and procedures of the statistics.

Principle 4. The statistical agencies are entitled to comment on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics.

Principle 5. Data for statistical purposes may be drawn from all types of sources, be they statistical surveys or administrative records. Statistical agencies are to choose the source with regard to quality, timeliness, costs and the burden on respondents.

Principle 6. Individual data collected by statistical agencies for statistical compilation, whether they refer to natural or legal persons, are to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes.

Principle 7. The laws, regulations and measures under which the statistical systems operate are to be made public.

Principle 8. Coordination among statistical agencies within countries is essential to achieve consistency and efficiency in the statistical system.

Principle 9. The use by statistical agencies in each country of international concepts, classifications and methods promotes the consistency and efficiency of statistical systems at all official levels.

Principle 10. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation in statistics contributes to the improvement of systems of official statistics in all countries.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?