This book is about the function and use of official statistics. It welcomes the aspiration for official statistics to be 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. The book identifies the political role of official statisticians, who decided what gets measured as well as how it is measured. While thousands of official statistics are published every year, and some are quoted by politicians, used by policy-makers or reported in the media, the authors observe that, in the main, official statistics do not feature much in everyday lives of people and businesses. The book concludes with suggestions for more that should be done, especially in the context of improving wellbeing and helping meet the worldwide set of sustainable development goals set for 2030.

Paul Allinis a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, UK, researching the use of wellbeing measures. He was previously a Statistician, Researcher and Policy Analyst in various UK government departments and agencies, including directing the Measuring National Wellbeing programme at the Office for National Statistics. He is the author, with David Hand, of The Wellbeing of Nations (2014). 

David Hand is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and a Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College London, UK, where he previously chaired the Statistics Section. He has served as President of the Royal Statistical Society and is on the Board of the UK Statistics Authority. He is the author of over 300 scientific papers and 30 books, including Measurement Theory and Practice (2010), The Improbability Principle (2015) and Dark Data (2020). 

1.Introduction.- 2.Setting the scene.- 3.Using statistics to assess progress.- 4.Statistics and public policy.- 5.Wider audiences for new measures of progress.- 6.Inputs and outputs: Data science and the role of media.- 7.Conclusion.