World Statistics Day – Statistics and Science

The role of statistics in modern science

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences hosted the international conference of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office on World Statistics Day

The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) held an international scientific conference entitled Statistics and Science on October 20, 2025, in the ceremonial hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to mark World Statistics Day. At the English-language symposium, renowned Hungarian and foreign experts from various scientific fields discussed the interactions between statistics and science, as well as the latest trends in data-driven research and decision-making. The aim of the conference was to draw attention to the role of statistics in the development of modern science and to highlight the synergies that arise from the collaboration between quantitative methods and various scientific disciplines.

László Péter Kollár, Secretary General of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Áron Kincses, President of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, and Tiina Luige, Director of the Statistics Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), gave welcoming speeches at the event. The first section of the conference was opened by Tobias Thomas, Professor at the University of Graz, who explained how modern statistical data infrastructures help to develop and accelerate research. Barnabás Virág, Vice President of the National Bank of Hungary, examined how statistical data contributes to the basis for future economic policy decisions. Dejan Stankov, Director General of the Statistical Office of North Macedonia, discussed the effects of cooperation between statistical offices and the academic sphere. Etienne Caruana, Director General of the Statistical Office of Malta, concluded the first part of the conference by presenting the opportunities and challenges of modernizing statistical offices.

In the second section, László Windisch, President of the State Audit Office, explained how his office uses data in its audit processes. Péter Halmai, President of Section IX of Economics and Law of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, reviewed the trends and challenges of potential economic growth in the European Union and its member states. Finally, Viktor Jáger, Head of the Methodology and Innovation Department at the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, presented how innovative technologies and artificial intelligence support the production of official statistics. The closing remarks of the conference were summarized by Tamás Tóth, Deputy President of the HCSO.

The presentations confirmed that statistical methods actively support scientific results. Modeling, predictive analysis, machine learning, and the discovery of patterns in data play a key role in a wide variety of disciplines, and the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, as a research-oriented, innovation-based scientific institution, plays an active, proactive role in this process.

World Statistics Day has been celebrated by the global statistical community since 2010, on the initiative of the United Nations, with the aim of raising awareness of the role of reliable, accurate and timely statistical data in understanding social and economic processes.

Established in 2010 by the United Nations Statistical Commission, World Statistics Day is celebrated every five years by the global statistical community to highlight the societal and scientific importance of official statistics, and the value of evidence-based decision-making. To mark this year’s World Statistics Day, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office is holding an international conference entitled ‘Statistics and Science’, at which renowned experts from the fields of statistics and related sciences will share their insights and experiences. The event aims to demonstrate the synergies between statistics and science, and to foster professional dialogue and collaboration.