The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its annual State of the Statistical System 2026 report. This review highlights areas of progress and improvement across the UK statistical system, while identifying the main system-level issues, risks and priorities facing it.
The report finds clear progress across the statistical system, with producers improving outputs, responding to new demands and being more open about quality and delivery challenges. Stronger leadership at ONS, alongside improved governance, user engagement and co-ordination across the GSS, has supported recovery and created a more resilient foundation.
However, significant pressures remain:
Quality and resilience are still under strain, difficult prioritisation choices are becoming more visible, and progress on innovation, user engagement and implementation of the revised Code is uneven. Addressing these interconnected challenges will require clear system leadership, particularly with the appointment of a new National Statistician to drive consistent standards, rebuild confidence and ensure the system meets growing expectations.
OSR makes five key recommendations in response to focus on areas where clearer system leadership is needed. Most are directed to the National Statistician once appointed and concentrate on resources and capacity, survey quality, delivery of Statistics Assembly priorities, the use of artificial intelligence in official statistics and implementation of the revised Code of Practice for Statistics.
Ed Humpherson, DG Regulation said:
“Last year we found a statistical system that, as a whole, was robust, despite clear challenges faced by the ONS. This year we have seen the ONS put in place the crucial building blocks for recovery: refreshed leadership and prioritisation, and high levels of openness.
“But for both ONS and other producers, there remain clear structural challenges around resources, response rates and publishing statistics in a contested environment. This means that, when appointed, the National Statistician will need to prioritise these structural challenges.”
Notes to Editors
- This annual report draws on OSR’s work as the UK’s statistics regulator, setting out our annual assessment of how the UK statistical system is performing. We bring together evidence from across the past year to highlight key system-level issues, risks and priorities. This also seeks to recognise areas of progress and improvement, all in the context of continued pressure on the system, including leadership transition, ongoing data quality challenges, declining survey response rates, and increasing constraints on resources and capacity.
- The UK’s statistical system includes those who collect, produce, disseminate and regulate official statistics, alongside central bodies that set strategic direction. This is the seventh report in our annual series on the State of the Statistical System that OSR has published. You can read our previous reports and related materials we have published here: 2020– 2021 – 2022 – 2023 – 2024 – 2025.
- The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) provides independent regulation of all official statistics produced in the UK, and aims to enhance public confidence in the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics produced by government. OSR regulates statistics by setting the standards official statistics must meet in the Code of Practice for Statistics. We ensure that producers of official statistics uphold these standards by conducting assessments against the Code. Those which meet the standards are given accredited official statistics status, indicating that they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value. We also report publicly on system-wide issues and on the way that statistics are being used, celebrating when the standards are upheld and challenging publicly when they are not.
- OSR is independent from government ministers, and separate from producers of statistics, including the Office for National Statistics (ONS). OSR’s Director General, Ed Humpherson, reports directly to the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority Board. The Director General and OSR have wide discretion in highlighting good practice and reporting concerns with the production and use of statistics publicly. OSR’s work is overseen by the Board’s Regulation Committee (made up of non-executive directors, and with no statistical producer in attendance). OSR’s budget is proposed by the Board’s regulation committee and endorsed by the Board.
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