History

The system of official statistics operating in the UK today represents the synthesis of a very long history of incremental change and reform. It is therefore not easy to identify which particular point in history marked the 'birth' of today's system. Most commentators would agree that the foundations of the present institutional and governance arrangements for UK official statistics were laid in 1941 when Prime Minister Winston Churchill set up the Central Statistical Office (CSO) to aid the war effort.

Half a century later, the CSO was greatly enlarged when, in 1996, it merged with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS), created in 1970, to form the Office for National Statistics (ONS). One of the main aims of this merger was to encourage more integration between economic and social statistics across the UK.

The main basis of the wider, decentralised UK statistical system which operates today was established in 1968 by Claus (now Lord) Moser, the then Director of the CSO. He formulated the concept of the 'Government Statistical Service' - a collection of professionals and other civil servants across government responsible for the production of official statistics and whose careers and work are co-ordinated from the centre - originally by the CSO and latterly by ONS.

The origins of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, and of the UK Statistics Authority, can be traced back to the 1990s, when calls were made from various quarters to create an independent statistics office.

Electronic copies of some of the key documents which have shaped the history and development of the UK statistical system can be found under the section 'Key historical documents'.

The key dates and events which have shaped the UK statistical system are available at 'Timeline' in the related links section.