Education: Statistics, Policies, Reports

Searching for statistics

Statistics can be found in a number of different sources including books, databases, reports, journal articles, and government websites.

Identify where to search

Start by identifying organisations that might be collecting the types of data you are looking for.​

• Governments - Most statistics are collected by national and subnational government agencies, e.g. the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Office for National Statistics (UK).
• International organisations - Organisations and institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) collect and collate statistics from different countries.
• National organisations - Many national organisations and research bodies collect statistics on particular areas of interest, e.g. the Australian Council for Educational Research, Diabetes Australia.
• Professional associations - Some professional bodies conduct research and publish survey findings, e.g. the Australian Institute of Management.

Note of caution: International statistics are dependent on the collection of data by national governments and other agencies, so the types, depth and dates of data are not always consistent between countries.

Collection of data within individual countries

• changes over time,
• may be inconsistent across states,
• and can be disrupted by events such as regime change and war.

ECU Library search for Statistics

You can begin your search for statistics in ECU Library search. Add the word "statistics" to the subject keywords you are using, e.g. schools Australia statistics.