Official statistics are statistics that are made available to the public by Statistics Norway or other government authority. Official statistics are the nation’s common fact basis, and are important for a living democracy. The statistics must satisfy the quality requirements set by Statistics Norway for official statistics in Norway.
The statistics shall be prepared on a professionally independent basis and be
Statistics Norway carries out wide-ranging research activities in addition to its statistics activity. The requirements for professional independence in the research correspond to the requirements for official statistics. The quality requirements for the research are otherwise the same as for research in general.
Statistics and research shall be produced and published in such a way that data security and data protection are safeguarded. The statistics shall also be efficiently produced and the data shall be collected with the lowest possible response burden.
Statistics Norway describes the development and analyses causal relations and consequences. Statistics Norway does not take a political stand.
The Statistics Act of 1989 lays down formal frameworks for all official statistics in Norway.
Statistics Norway’s requirements for official statistics are based on the requirements developed in international collaborations and laid down in a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics, the Guidelines for European statistics and in the UN's statistics principles.
Statistics and research in Statistics Norway are both subject to Statistics Norway’s ethical guidelines, Ethics and statistics, the publication can be ordered from our Sales and subscription service.
Statistics Norway's dissemination policy covers the main rules for Statistics Norway’s dissemination. Statistics Norway’s dissemination policy is based on the provisions of the Statistics Act concerning Statistics Norway’s role and duties, on the principle of optimum transparency and on international guidelines for official statistics from the EU and UN, among others. Official statistics are public goods that should be available to everyone. The statistics shall be disseminated in such a way that the main results can be understood without any specialist knowledge. The main channel for the dissemination of statistics and analyses is ssb.no.
The Statistics Council is an advisory body for Statistics Norway and other producers of official statistics in Norway. The Statistics Council helps strengthen the coordination of the production and dissemination of official statistics in Norway.
Published 20 November 2009 © Statistics Norway