World Statistics Day celebrated with international scientific conference in Budapest

On the occasion of World Statistics Day, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) organized an international scientific conference on the topic of “Statistics and Science”, which was held on 20 October 2025 in the Grand Hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. The conference brought together eminent experts from Hungary and abroad, who discussed the mutual influence of statistics and science, as well as the latest trends in research and data-based policymaking.
The following gave their opening remarks:

• László Péter Kólar, Secretary General of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• Aron Kincsés, President of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office
• Tina Luige, Director of the Statistics Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The Director of the State Statistical Office of the Republic of North Macedonia, Dr. Dejan Stankov, participated in the first part of the conference, presenting the importance of cooperation between statistical institutions and the academic community. This appearance confirms the commitment of our institution to active participation in international statistical initiatives and to strengthening the scientific dimension of official statistics.

In the first part of the conference, Prof. Tobias Thomas from the University of Graz also made a presentation, speaking about the role of modern statistical infrastructure in advancing scientific research. Barnabás Virag, Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Hungary, analyzed the significance of statistical data for future economic policies.

The first part was also joined by Etienne Caruana, Director of the Statistical Office of Malta, who spoke about the challenges and opportunities related to the modernization of statistical institutions.
The State Statistical Office expresses its sincere gratitude to the President of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, Mr. Aaron Kinches for the excellent organization and hospitality.

The event highlighted the key role of statistical methods in modern science – from modeling and predictive analysis to machine learning and discovering patterns in data. Statistics are an essential element for making informed decisions and for the development of science, and statistical institutions, as research and innovation bodies, play an increasingly important role in this process.

World Statistics Day is celebrated every five years, starting in 2010 at the initiative of the United Nations, in order to raise public awareness of the importance of quality, timely and reliable statistical data in understanding social and economic processes.