What's the difference between data and statistics?

Are you confused about the difference between data and statistics? Here’s a quick overview!

What is Data?

Data is the direct result of research that was conducted as part of a study or survey. It usually comes in the form of a machine-readable data file so that it can be analyzed using software.

What are Statistics?

Statistics are a summary of the data. Statistics are the results of data analysis. 

Statistics can be a numerical value or a visual representation such as a summary table or graph

For example, data is information collected every 5 years for the Census. This is a table showing data from the 2016 Canadian Census.

Statistics are used to summarize the data. 

For example, statistics derived from the Canadian Census tell us that:

Canadian families have become smaller over time. The average number of children per family decreased from 2.7 in 1961 to 1.9 in 2011. During the same period, the average number of people per family decreased from 3.9 in 1961 to 2.9 in 2011.

Now you know the difference between Data and Statistics. 

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