Who we are

Introduction

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to Parliament. ONS is the UK Government's single largest statistical producer. It functions as:

  • the office of the National Statistician, who is also the UK Statistics Authority's Chief Executive and principal statistical adviser
  • the UK's National Statistics Institute (or NSI - to use European terminology), and 
  • the 'Head Office' of the Government Statistical Service (GSS)

Governance

ONS operates under two levels of governance.

  • strategic oversight is provided by the Statistics Authority
  • day-to-day management is the responsibility of the Executive Management Group (EMG)

Budget, Staffing and Location

  • in 2008/09 total ONS budget amounts to £237 million
  • ONS employs some 3,900 staff (of whom 1,300 are field staff who collect information for social surveys). This total includes 250 members of the 'Statistician Group' within the GSS, as well as more than 200 members of the Government Social Research (GSR) Service
  • ONS operates from three main sites - from its corporate headquarters at Newport in South Wales, from Titchfield, near Portsmouth in Hampshire, and from its offices in Myddelton Street in London

Historical Background

The Office for National Statistics was created in 1996 through a merger of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) - created by the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, in 1941 to aid the war effort - and the Office for Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) - created in 1970 by the Director of the CSO.

  • Our history

    Explaining the roots, how the office progressed and when departments and policies were formed

  • Our vision and values

    A high level view of why ONS is in business, where we're heading and the values and culture that need to exist to get us there

  • Our strategic principles

    How we are making the vision a reality

  • Our aims

    Statistical development strategies

  • Our services

    About the range of services provided by us

  • Our funding

    Where our money comes from

Related Links