Executive Summary
Drawing on our work as the UK’s statistics regulator, this report shares our views on the performance of the statistical system and the challenges facing it, highlights areas of progress and innovation and sets out our recommendations for advancing the system.
The UK’s statistical landscape is currently under scrutiny. Concerns have been raised about the Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s performance, governance and culture, and its ability to deliver its core functions effectively. As the UK’s National Statistical Institute, some perceive ONS as synonymous with the entire Government Statistical Service (GSS) – it is not. In this context, there is risk that any issues affecting the reputation of ONS may influence public confidence in the broader statistical system.
In our recent interactions with ONS, we have seen a more open and transparent assessment of the challenges it faces. The recent publications of its plans for economic statistics and household and business surveys provide the foundations to restore confidence. However, we do not underestimate the challenge ahead for ONS in rebuilding quality and user confidence.
The level of risk facing specific statistics and producers helps shape our regulatory work programme. In this context, our work has been more focused on ONS this year than usual, and this is reflected in the balance of this report. However, the UK statistical system and our regulatory responsibility remain much broader than ONS.
Our regulatory work shows that the broader statistical system in the UK remains robust, and that producers are effectively meeting a wide range of demands. We see statisticians across the UK that are committed to maintaining quality, integrity and trust in their outputs, ensuring a resilient and effective statistical system.
There are several high-profile initiatives to strengthen confidence and support
The UK statistical system is currently undergoing multiple reviews with the objective of enhancing trust and improving quality. These reviews are focused on different components and leadership within the system.
Our Systemic Review of Economic Statistics, which evaluates the quality and reliability of economic data produced by the ONS, was published in April 2025. The review led by Sir Robert Devereux on the Office for National Statistics’ performance and culture was published on 26 June 2025, along with a joint response from the UK Statistics Authority and Cabinet Office. The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC)’s inquiry into the UK Statistics Authority (the Authority) and its governance, accountability and efficacy is ongoing at the time of writing. Two hearings have taken place on 1 July and 8 July with oral evidence provided by Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority; Emma Rourke, Acting National Statistician; and Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation. The inquiry report is expected in autumn 2025.
Heads of Profession for statistics (who are accountable for professional statistical matters in departments and agencies) have acted to enhance the identity of the profession through the development and publication of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) vision – Strength in Numbers, which focuses on capability and community, among other core areas. While resourcing remains a challenge, the Deputy Heads of the GSS are enhancing the GSS’s connections, including with the broader Analysis Function, ensuring alignment with the vision and sustainable funding for critical initiatives. A partnership with the Royal Statistical Society was established to reflect on the evolving role and skills required for statisticians, leading to a summary report in April 2025.
Recommendation. The positive steps the Government Statistical Service (GSS) is taking to deliver its vision must continue. It is important this work is supported by resources from across the whole GSS.
Recommendation. We want to see more information made publicly available about the numbers, skills and resources that the GSS has at its disposal. This will help in understanding the pressures faced by the statistical system and identifying any necessary actions.
There are demand, resourcing and engagement pressures
Demand for official statistics in the UK continues to grow, reflecting a strong need for timely, high-quality data across government, industry and the public. Statistics producers are increasingly undertaking strategic prioritisation to balance the demand for new high-quality statistics that provide insights with funding constraints. As a result, some statistics producers are reducing their existing outputs to reallocate resources to new priorities.
Engaging with users is critical to producing evidence and statistical outputs that meet their needs and answer their questions. Since our last report, we have seen new examples of good engagement, the most significant of which was the debut of the UK Statistics Assembly. However, despite some recent positive developments there is still progress to be made in this area.
Recommendation. Statistics producers must continue to balance the current and emerging needs for high-quality, relevant statistics through strategic prioritisation and clear communication. Continued transparent decision making and seeking user feedback are essential.
Recommendation. The statistical system needs to build on the positive momentum generated by the Statistical Assembly in January 2025 and continue to develop and refine its approaches to user engagement.
Maintaining quality is a key focus for ONS and for the wider statistical system
While many statistics across the system are produced to a high quality and meet the needs of users, declining responses to statistics household surveys are negatively affecting the quality of key UK statistics. Long-standing challenges with household survey response rates have become critical, particularly in some ONS surveys. Statisticians are having to take additional actions to ensure that statistics can be maintained at the quality that is needed.
Recommendation. It is becoming critical that the factors which affect variations in response rates to statistical surveys across the UK and topic areas are better understood by the whole statistical system. We consider that is now essential that the statistical system proactively researches, develops and works to implement system-wide solutions.
Our systemic review of ONS economic statistics set out requirements for ONS to take decisive action to restore confidence in its portfolio. ONS’s publication of its plan for economic statistics, its Surveys Improvement and Enhancement Plan for Economic Statistics, and its forthcoming revised strategic business plan provide activities that, if successfully executed, can restore confidence, ensure strategic transparency and enhance focus on the quality of data inputs.
Recommendation. It is critical that ONS continues to take action to restore confidence in its portfolio of economic statistics.
Recommendation. As statistics producers transition to modern data collection and processing methods, they must proactively address potential IT shortcomings to safeguard the quality of their statistics and maintain user confidence.
Allocating resources and funds to specific change programmes can help statistics producers mitigate risks and ensure the use of modern methods and data sources. However, balancing innovation with the need to maintain essential statistical outputs requires careful resource allocation and strategic planning. ONS acknowledges the need for a revised approach to implementing change in its plan for economic statistics, placing a greater emphasis on continuous improvement and dedicating the right mix of skills to each production area, while continuing to use change programmes where appropriate.
Recommendation. The challenges and lessons learned from change programmes apply across to the entire statistical system, and it is important that best practice is widely understood.
While the use of administrative data is advancing, the maturity of these data and systems as statistical data sources has not progressed as quickly as hoped. This sentiment was echoed in the Independent Report on the 2025 UK Statistics Assembly.
Recommendation. The UK Statistics Authority and the Government Statistical Service (GSS) should take a stronger leadership position in a significant scaling up in the use of administrative data across the portfolio of sources of official statistics.
Recommendation. We encourage producers to build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with data suppliers and operational areas to support the quality of their statistical outputs.
There are other important, system-wide issues
Despite ongoing innovations, progress on data sharing and data linkage across government has been slow. While some government departments effectively share and link data to enable the operational delivery of public services, and there are instances of successful data sharing and linkage for statistical purposes, significant work remains to be done to establish these practices as standard rather than the exception within the UK statistical system. Achieving this will require investment from the wider statistics and data ecosystem.
Recommendation. We want to see partners, both within the statistical system and beyond, continue to review and implement the recommendations to improve on data sharing and data linkage set out in our 2024 follow-on report.
Artificial intelligence (AI) models offer significant opportunities to enhance the production and communication of official statistics. As the statistical system explores and implements this technology, it is crucial to build public confidence by managing and mitigating its real and perceived risks. A comprehensive understanding of how AI is being used across the statistical system is needed, with clearer leadership to translate and implement existing AI guidance for use within the UK statistical system.
Recommendation. We encourage producers to explore the potential of using AI in official statistics in a transparent, responsible and collaborative way, drawing on existing guidance. We recognise our role in supporting innovation and best practice in this area, including by developing guidance on using AI in line with the Code.
Recent reviews have highlighted the difficulties in comparing the experiences and outcomes of citizens across different parts of the UK. Despite the commendable efforts of statistics producers, significant challenges remain in achieving meaningful UK-wide comparability across key measures. Our review of the adequacy of UK-wide comparable statistics and data provides recommendations to help the UK statistical system better understand comparability issues and prioritise resources.
Recommendation. We want the GSS to act on our comparability review, which provides a clear framework to help the UK statistical system meet user needs for comparable statistics across the UK. While our recommendations are challenging, they are necessary to drive the changes needed to address longstanding issues.
Applying the principles of intelligent transparency and communicating uncertainty are key focus areas for statistics producers
Embedding the principles of intelligent transparency across the UK’s governments is OSR’s flagship public campaign. Over the past year, these principles – equality of access, enhancing understanding and independent decision making and leadership –have gained recognitions among producers and analysts in the statistical system and beyond. This will be further strengthened by their inclusion in the revised Code of Practice for Statistics which will be published in the autumn.
Recommendation. We want the principles of intelligent transparency – equality of access, enhancing understanding and independent decision making and leadership – to become the norm across the statistical system and all areas of government.
Recommendation. We want to see producers proactively considering how intelligent transparency can be implemented and embedded, including through engagement with senior leaders, operational departments and communication teams beyond the statistical system whenever necessary.
Effective communication of statistics ensures better data-based decisions and enhances confidence in the statistical system. Statistics producers are actively seeking ways to improve how their statistics are communicated. We want to see good examples of the communication of quality and uncertainty continue to be shared across government to help embed best practice. The UK Government’s mission-led approach offers the opportunity for clearly communicated statistics to become standard, providing the public with clear parameters for measuring government performance.
Recommendation. Further training on communicating uncertainty in statistics should be delivered by the GSS, to complement producers sharing best practice on the communication of quality. The statistical system will be supported in these actions through the revised Code of Practice, which will continue to be at the core of OSR’s regulatory approach.
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