Title: The Office for National Statistics
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Beyond data collection and analysis

Office for National Statistics

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK's national statistical institute and the most extensive producer of official statistics in the UK. Broadly speaking, official statistics are defined as all statistical outputs produced by ONS, central Government departments and agencies, the devolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and other Crown bodies. ONS is the only government department for which the production of statistics is its primary function. It is independent of ministers and reports to Parliament and the devolved administrations through the UK Statistics Authority.

ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority and has a number of core responsibilities. Firstly, it is tasked with the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of UK statistics across a range of economic, social and demographic issues. Secondly, it serves to provide statistical leadership and methodological advice for the benefit of UK official statistics. Thirdly, it represents the UK at an international level as the national statistical institute.

As noted, ONS is responsible for the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of a wide range of economic and social statistics. Examples of such statistics include but are not limited to those relating to the following areas:

1 | The UK's National Accounts (for example, Gross Domestic Product, National Income and Expenditure)
2 | The UK Balance of Payments
3 | Population, demography and migration
4 | Government activity and output
5 | Business activity and output
6 | Prices (for example, consumer and producer)
7 | The labour market
8 | Vital events (for example births, marriages and deaths)

A further key function of ONS is to design, manage and run the Census in England and Wales. It also collaborates with the devolved administrations to carry out the Census in Northern Ireland and Scotland.