The National Statistical Institute turns 133

"Our society is arch of stone,

which could collapse if one

did not support the other."

Seneca

The Statistical Organizational Unit of the Ministry of Finance was founded on June 25, 1880 by a Royal Decree No 296. Today, our institution turns 133. There are very few public institutions in Bulgaria with similar worthy age.

The past 133 years are the best evidence of the role and place of statistics in provision of information to the society, of the importance of statistical theory and practice in the study of socio-economic and demographic phenomena, and processes for the striving of generations of statisticians to provide statistical image of reality regardless of times and conditions in which they worked.

The necessity for statistical information is proven by the long history of statistics. The world and our own experience show that with the development and deepening of democratic processes, the importance of statistics will increase. Nowadays there is no day during which statistical data is not presented, analysed, used, and cited. Not by accident it is assumed that statistical information is as natural resources to every country, but unlike them, which are exhausted with their use, the value of the statistics increases with usage.

Behind the statistics is hidden the human face of generations of Bulgarian statisticians who contribute to the development and strengthening of national statistics internationally. For 133 years the work of thousands of statisticians has been focused on improving the methodology of statistical surveys, data collection, processing and dissemination of information.

The role of the national statistics to society keeps increasing through deployment of modern information technologies in the collection, production and dissemination of statistical information. Conditions for free global access to data of the National Statistical System and the European Statistical System are being created.

The work of the National Statistical Institute is fully harmonized with the fundamental principles of official statistics of the United Nations and the principles of the European statistical practice. Bulgarian statistics is an integral part of the European and global statistical community. This year NSI actively participates in the UN initiative "International Year of Statistics 2013" along with more than 1,400 organizations in 111 countries worldwide.

Statistical information is a public asset that belongs to the citizens and businesses, the scientific community, policy makers, the media and the general public. Activities of statistics are concentrated in the direction of providing transparent, accessible, impartial, timely, accurate and quality information which is crucial for the political, economic and social life of Bulgaria.

Statistical surveys conducted during the period 1880 - 2013, were part of the Bulgarian historical, scientific and cultural heritage.