Democracy Dies in Darkness without Official Data

The Role of Official Statistics in Strengthening Democracy: Every day, citizens encounter statistics in the news-employment rates, GDP, mortality, road safety. Behind these numbers are National Statistical Offices (NSOs), whose mission is to collect, produce, and disseminate trusted information. Independent from political influence, NSOs provide a foundation for democratic accountability, giving the public reliable tools to evaluate how governments manage economies and societies. Their methodologies are internationally coordinated, largely through the United Nations, ensuring credibility and comparability across countries. The importance of NSOs has grown since the Second World War, when global leaders such as Stone and Keynes emphasized the need for standardized economic statistics to guide policy. The census remains a central instrument: conducted every ten years worldwide, it provides essential demographic and economic data that underpin evidence-based policymaking. The United Nations' Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (1994) state that official statistics are "an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society." Similarly, the European Statistics Code of Practice stresses professional independence as the first principle, ensuring that statistical authorities are free from political and private interference. The credibility of official statistics is so vital that the European Union requires candidate countries to dedicate a full chapter to them during accession negotiations. This session will bring together experts to examine how NSOs safeguard independence, foster transparency, and support informed public debate. We will discuss the challenges of maintaining trust in an era of misinformation, the global frameworks that uphold professional standards, and the enduring role of official statistics in strengthening democratic societies and human rights.