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Why statistics matter

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Wales in summary

An overview of Wales from the statistics we publish.

Wales: Some International Comparisons

This publication sets indicators of health, education and other aspects of life alongside figures for other countries.

Statistics are critical to democratic debate, every newspaper we open or news programme we watch seems to mention data of some kind. Our official statistics enable everyone to understand more about their world and make more informed decisions.

In government statistics help us make good decisions and plan effectively: 

  • Population projections help local authorities match services to the number of people.
  • The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation was used to focus funding according to need.
  • Economic statistics help target policies at the people and areas most in need.

The public can see how their services are performing:

  • Ambulance response times.
  • Recycling rates.
  • Council tax collection rates.

Businesses use statistics to help decide whether to invest in new staff or equipment.