BNSI Statistical Glossary

Data collected primarily for administrative or operational purposes (e.g. tax, social security, education records) that are later used to produce statistics.

Number of live births to women in a specific age group per 1,000 women in that age group in a given year.

Number of deaths in a specific age group per 1,000 (or 100,000) people in that age group in a given year.

A value derived by summing or otherwise combining detailed data for groups, categories, or geographic areas.

The percentage change in a variable (such as GDP, population, CPI) between one year and the next.

A systematic record of all economic transactions between residents of an economy and the rest of the world over a period of time.

The year chosen as a benchmark for index numbers or constant-price series (e.g. CPI base year 2019 = 100).

Adjusting or aligning short-term or survey-based estimates to more reliable or comprehensive reference data, often from censuses or annual accounts.

Large, complex, and often real-time datasets generated by digital activities (e.g. mobile records, web traffic) that may be used for statistics.

The complete expulsion or extraction of a baby from the mother, showing any sign of life, regardless of gestational age.

A complete count of all units in a population (e.g. all persons, all dwellings) at a specified point in time, usually conducted at regular intervals.

A measure of relative variability, calculated as the standard error divided by the estimate, often expressed as a percentage.

An index measuring the average change over time in the prices paid by households for a fixed basket of goods and services.

The obligation to protect information so that data about individual persons, households, or businesses cannot be disclosed or inferred.

A range of values within which the true population parameter is expected to lie with a given probability (e.g. 95%).

Data collected for many units (e.g. persons, firms, islands) at a single point in time.

Activities to detect and correct errors or inconsistencies in collected data before estimation and dissemination.

Combining data from different sources (surveys, administrative data, big data) to create more complete or higher-quality statistics.

Checking collected data against rules, ranges, or external sources to ensure accuracy and consistency.

A price index used to convert current-price values into constant-price values (e.g. GDP deflator).

All persons physically present in the country on the reference date, regardless of usual residence or nationality.

All persons who usually reside in the country, regardless of where they are on the reference date.

All persons of working age who are either employed or unemployed but actively seeking and available for work.

The number of persons who, during a reference period, performed work for pay, profit, or family gain.

The difference between an estimate based on a sample and the true but unknown population value, arising because only part of the population is observed.

The process of using sample data and statistical methods to infer values for an entire population.

A method of calculating GDP by summing final expenditures on goods and services: consumption, investment, government expenditure, and net exports.

Spending by households, non-profit institutions, and government on goods and services used for direct satisfaction of individual or collective needs.

A list or other representation of all units in the target population from which a sample is drawn.

A table or graph showing how often each value or range of values occurs in a dataset.

All institutional units that provide non-market services, redistribute income and wealth, and are mainly financed by compulsory payments (taxes).

Data that include geographic coordinates or shapes, allowing statistics to be mapped to specific locations.

The total value of goods and services produced in an economy during a given period, minus the value of intermediate consumption.

GDP plus net primary income from abroad (income received by residents from non-residents minus similar payments to non-residents).

A group of persons, or a single person, living together and sharing living arrangements as a unit.

The value of goods and services purchased or received in kind by households for their own use.

A survey that uses households as the primary sampling unit and collects social, demographic, and economic information about their members.

The process of replacing missing or inconsistent data with substituted values based on other information, to complete a dataset.

A statistic that expresses the level of a variable relative to a base period (e.g. 2019 = 100).

Production units that are typically small in scale, unregistered, and operating with low levels of organisation and formality.

An agreed international framework (such as the System of National Accounts, SNA) that provides definitions and classifications for comparable statistics.

An explicit or implicit contract in which a person works for a unit in exchange for compensation.

A paid job position that is newly created, unoccupied, or about to become vacant, and for which the employer is taking active steps to find a suitable candidate.

A statistic selected to summarise or monitor important aspects of social, economic, or environmental conditions (e.g. unemployment rate, poverty rate).

A measure of the “tailedness” of a distribution, describing how concentrated values are in the centre versus the tails.

The labour force (employed plus unemployed) as a percentage of the working-age population.

The average number of years a newborn is expected to live if prevailing mortality patterns continue throughout life.

A chart type where data points are connected by lines to show trends over time.

The range around an estimate within which the true population value is expected to fall with a stated level of confidence.

Data that describe other data, such as definitions, classifications, methods, sources, and quality information for a statistic.

Record-level data about individual units (e.g. persons, households, businesses), usually anonymised to protect confidentiality.

The value that occurs most frequently in a dataset.

Systematic collection and analysis of data to track progress and assess results of programmes, policies, or strategies.

A coherent, integrated set of macroeconomic accounts that describe the economic activities of a country, following the System of National Accounts (SNA).

The main national agency responsible for producing and coordinating official statistics in a country.

Failure to obtain information from some sampled units, either entirely (unit non-response) or for some questions (item non-response).

Errors not related to sampling, such as mistakes in data collection, processing, or coverage.

Statistics produced and disseminated by the national statistical system, following professional standards of quality, impartiality, and confidentiality, to serve the public good.

An observation that is unusually large or small compared with most of the data and may strongly influence statistical results.

The value of goods and services produced by an institutional unit or industry during a given period.

Data collected from the same units (e.g. households, firms) at multiple points in time.

The complete set of units (persons, households, businesses, etc.) about which information is sought.

A measure of the size and characteristics of a population at a given time, produced using censuses and other data sources.

The threshold level of income or consumption used to distinguish between poor and non-poor individuals or households.

The proportion of a population that has a particular characteristic or condition at a specific point (point prevalence) or period (period prevalence).

A multi-dimensional concept including relevance, accuracy, timeliness, comparability, coherence, accessibility, and clarity.

One of three cut points that divide a distribution into four equal parts.

A measure describing the frequency of an event relative to a population at risk, often per 1,000 or 100,000 people.

The time period to which the data relate (e.g. week, month, year).

A continuously updated database of units (such as businesses or dwellings) used as a sampling frame and source of information.

A statistical technique used to examine the relationship between one dependent variable and one or more independent variables.

The proportion of sampled units that provided usable information.

A subset of units selected from a population for measurement.

A survey that collects data from a sample rather than the full population, and uses statistical methods to generate estimates.

The error arising because a sample rather than the full population is observed.

A list or other representation of all units in the target population from which a sample is drawn.

A statistical technique that removes the effects of regular seasonal patterns from a time series to reveal underlying trends.

Statistics on social conditions and wellbeing, such as education, health, crime, and social protection.

A measure of the spread of a distribution indicating how far values typically deviate from the mean.

A rate adjusted to a standard population structure to allow comparison across regions or over time.

The process of organising data into tables, showing categories, counts, or other statistics.

The entire group of units about which information is desired and to which survey results are intended to apply.

Data for the same variable recorded at successive points in time.

The length of time between the reference period and the publication of statistics.

Persons without work during the reference period, currently available for work, and actively seeking work.

The number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force.

The entity about which information is collected, such as a person, household, enterprise, or establishment.

Output minus intermediate consumption, representing the value generated by production.

The average of the squared deviations of values from the mean; a measure of dispersion.

Statistics derived from civil registration or similar systems on births, deaths, marriages, and other vital events.

A factor assigned to each sampled unit that indicates how many population units it represents in estimation.

The population in the age range defined for labour statistics (commonly 15–64, or as specified in national practice).

The percentage change in a variable compared with the same period in the previous year.

Unemployment rate for persons in a specified youth age group (e.g. 15–24 years).

A value expressing how many standard deviations an observation lies above or below the mean of the distribution.