20 October 2024 - Banca d'Italia marks European Statistics Day

18 October 2024

On 20 October, European Statistics Day will be celebrated under the motto 'Official Statistics, a window for understanding society'.

The observation and measurement of social phenomena are essential prerequisites for economic analysis, which is crucial to the performance of a central banks' institutional tasks. To this end, Banca d'Italia has always been committed to collecting and disseminating information on financial intermediaries, general government bodies, firms, and households. Under national and European regulations, Banca d'Italia is entrusted with producing official statistics on the banking system, the financial markets, monetary and credit aggregates, the balance of payments, the international investment position, the financial accounts, general government debt and borrowing requirements, and the payment system. These data are produced in accordance with EU harmonized methodologies, published in the Statistics Series publications according to an official schedule, and made available through the Statistical Database.

The standards for compiling official statistics are periodically updated through close collaboration at international, Eurosystem and Eurostat level to provide a true and accurate representation of economic and social fact while guaranteeing international comparability, with a focus on European integration.

In addition to producing and disseminating official statistics, Banca d'Italia conducts periodic sample surveys involving households, firms, and banking and financial intermediaries. The results of these surveys are released to the public through various publications. Most of the microdata collected are subsequently made available for economic research purposes through the Research Data Center, adopting appropriate confidentiality measures.

For further information, please visit the Statistics section of Banca d'Italia's website and in the publication 'Banca d'Italia: Functions and Objectives.'