Counts made by administrators on behalf of their rulers for the purposes of gathering taxes or conscripting soldiers were a feature of many ancient civilizations, but the organized compilation of facts and figures for the use of states in much broader ways became systematized only following the age of Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, and the growth of European nationalism. Nowadays, modern states collect and publish a whole a range of data about their populations, trade, finances, housing, health, consumption, leisure activities, and many other aspects of their societies, both to reflect performance and as a guide for future policy formation. [Source: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods; Official Statistics]
statistical data
official statistics
concepts