Population: The first Census carried out by the CSO, after establishment in 1949, was in 1951 when the population was 2.96m. In Census 2022 the population was 5.15m.
Private Cars: In 1949 there were 15,118 private cars licensed for the first time. In 2023 this had increased to 117,424.
Wages: The average weekly wage for men in all industries and services in 1948 was the equivalent of £5.02 (€6.37) per week and £2.80 (€3.56) per week for women. In Q2 2023, average weekly earnings were €911.01.
Marriage: In 1949 there were 16,009 opposite-sex marriages and 0 same-sex marriages. In 2023 there were 20,513 opposite-sex marriages and 646 same-sex marriages, 324 male and 322 female.
Prisoners: At the end of 1949 there were a total of 437 prisoners in custody in Irish prisons, compared with 4,677 prisoners in 2023.
Industrial Disputes: In 1949, 153 industrial disputes began involving almost 10,000 workers with the loss of over 273,000 working days, mostly in the mining and quarrying industry. In 2023, there were seven industrial disputes involving almost 2,000 workers, resulting in the loss of 4,200 working days.
Of the original CSO staff in 1949, four were statisticians, two of whom were sent to the US for training for eight months. As of January 2024, the CSO has more than 1,000 staff over three locations in Cork and Dublin, as well as teams of interviewers around the country.
Trust in official statistics has never been more important. It is worth emphasising the main differences between the CSO and other data providers, which are our legal standing, our high standards, stringent regulation, and our independence which is enshrined in law. The CSO adheres to the highest international standards on how we gather, protect, and publish data, and we clearly state our methodologies and sources. Our statistics are independently verified and checked by international bodies, and we are subject to regular reviews by teams of international experts to ensure our data meets the highest standards. All of these steps promote trust in the statistics we produce.
Protecting the information provided to us is at the core of our trusted relationship with the people of Ireland. With this information, we produce independent statistics and insights that are freely available to everyone, which is cornerstone of a democratic society. Our releases, publications, and insights reflect our changing society and economy, and support evidence-informed decision making.
To underpin continued trust in our work, the CSO is today launching a Trust and Transparency section on our website, which outlines how and why we collect data, our legal remit, the legal guarantees around data protection, and the steps we take to protect data confidentiality. This commitment to maintaining trust reflects the history of our organisation and the basis for our continued public service.
The CSO has also created a special logo and section on our website to mark this milestone of providing independent statistics for the nation for 75 years, and its commitment to continue to work to the highest standards as we face the challenges and opportunities of future data gathering and analysis to support evidence-informed decision making by all. The tag line for our 75th anniversary logo is: CSO: Trusted for 75 years and counting.
We asked some of our former Director Generals for the highlights of their terms in office and the greatest challenges they faced. While their terms of office spanned more than 30 years, interestingly, they all cited similar challenges. These were: to ensure CSO statistics are compiled in an efficiently timely manner to the highest international statistical standards; protecting confidentiality; protecting our independence; and maintaining trust in official statistics.
“The highlight of my term as head of the CSO undoubtedly was the Government Decision in June 1991 to decentralise the bulk of the activities of the Office to Cork. Of particular concern to me was how the relocation and the expected loss of experienced serving staff would disrupt statistical operations and how it might potentially affect the quality of official statistics.
The Government envisaged the transfer of some 400 core personnel to Cork. Some functions, involving about 120 or so core staff, were retained in Dublin, such as National Accounts and Balance of Payments, which meant retaining serving experienced staff because of the complexity of the work. CSO general service staff not opting to relocate to Cork also had to be redeployed to other Departments. As I recall, only 65 or so mainly junior CSO serving staff opted to relocate. This meant, for example, the loss of almost all IT staff and the recruitment of a new team of statisticians for Cork. Despite this significant change, statistics had to be collected, processed, and published to the customary standard and timeliness. I am proud to say the CSO rose to these challenges.
The new Office in Cork was built, kitted out, and was ready for occupancy in early January 1994. Files, documents, and other materials were physically transferred down from Dublin over four days, and staff took up duties in Cork on Monday 17 January. The Cork Office was officially opened by the then Taoiseach Mr. Albert Reynolds on Friday 11 February 1994.”
It is worth noting that Mr Murphy was the lead architect of the Statistics Act, 1993 which enshrined in law the independence of the CSO and its Director General, and it is still the legislative basis for the CSO’s work today.
“I think an important strategic development at national level was the significant expansion of the statistical user base leading on to the matching of data sets and the Statistical Potential of Administrative Records (SPAR) exercise.
The Social Partners wondered how they could assess whether the Government was delivering on the various undertakings that were given. We built on that by introducing a stronger focus on various Social Statistics. We introduced a number of thematic publications, which included Measuring Ireland’s Progress and Women and Men in Ireland, which were very well received. Matching large data sets was a new area, so we published Protocols relating to any data matching activities we carried out. We sent teams into Government Departments to assess how and why data were collected and whether they were stored in a way which allowed further statistical interrogation. It is wonderful to see how this has been developed in recent years.
The independence guaranteed to the CSO by the Statistics Act, 1993 was the envy of some in Europe. The CSO formed a working group in the mid-’90s to develop a Code of Practice and Statistical Law for EU statistics. This formed the basis of the first European Statistical Law which was finalised in 1997 and outlined the new standards for the production of official European statistics, common principles, governance, confidentiality, and the right of access to administrative data for statistical purposes. It also provided the framework for the European Statistical Systems Code of Practice, which is now the standard for national statistical institutes. These are now the cornerstones of the statistical system that underpin our quality controls and our values.”
“My tenure as Director General primarily focused on building on the 'whole of system' approach to statistical production initiated by my predecessor Donal Garvey, with the support of the National Statistics Board (NSB); the successful completion of the Information Technology Strategic Implementation Plan (ITSIP); and the further elaboration of the European Statistics Code of Practice to embed statistical quality protocols and processes throughout the CSO and beyond.
The wider economic and public service environments were soon to be dominated by the impact of the building sector collapse and the resultant financial crisis that emerged in 2008. Unlike the previous 15 years, when the CSO had enjoyed a substantial steady increase in resources (e.g., professional and senior management numbers quadrupled between 1990 and 2005), the Office, in common with all public sector organisations, experienced a new period of retrenchment with cutbacks across the board. Nevertheless, the CSO was resilient and continued to deliver and progress.
One highlight that stands out, was the hosting of the 2011 World Statistics Congress in the new National Conference Centre in August 2011 where more than 2,000 participants from all over the world attended. As Director General, I had the honour to chair the National Organising Committee, which included prominent statisticians from north and south of the border. The 2011 Congress is still remembered as one of the best.”
“The clear highlight for me has been the way in which the staff in the CSO have adapted to the changing society, economy, and environment we are trying to measure. The level of innovation, flexibility, professionalism, and public service ethos that has been shown is incredible and we shouldn’t underestimate what the staff of the CSO have achieved and indeed continue to achieve.
In terms of changes, there have been so many it is difficult to highlight one. Perhaps the formal recognition by the organisation that we needed to show leadership in being the counterfactual to fake news and alternative facts has been the biggest change. What that recognition brought was an awareness that while we needed to continue serving expert users, we needed to broaden our horizons and evolve the way in which we presented evidence and insight so that everyone could engage with the information we provide. We recognised that we must provide information in a way that people can use in their daily lives for their purposes, whether it is simply to ensure they can keep themselves informed with independent, verified, and regulated information, or to use it to hold decision makers to account.
The awareness of strategic communications was extremely important in that regard, as was a move by the CSO to the centre of the national data ecosystem where we provide not just evidence and insight but a broad range of data services. I think we now have a better understanding of what is required to be relevant and helpful.”
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CSO Marks 75 Years of Providing Trusted Statistics for all
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is today (04 June 2024) marking 75 years since it was first established in 1949.
Although the value of gathering statistics was recognised at the foundation of the State with the creation of a statistics branch within the Department of Industry and Commerce in 1922 headed by John Hooper, the CSO was formerly founded on 01 June 1949 in Dublin Castle. The CSO was established to gather, analyse, and publish independent statistics and insights about Ireland’s society, economy, and environment. Our methods and role have evolved over the years, but our commitment to confidentiality, accuracy, quality, transparency, and independence remains the same.
Jennifer Banim, whose appointment as Director General commenced on 31 May 2024, is the first female Director General of the CSO. Commenting on the 75th anniversary of the CSO, Ms Banim said: “I am delighted to be able to offer my reflections on the CSO reaching its 75th milestone and honoured to be the newly appointed Director General of the CSO. The CSO stands for so much. The colleagues I meet in Ireland and Europe speak so highly of our reputation, which is built on our independence, our reliability, our professional approach, and our willingness to help.
Now in its 75th year, the CSO has established a strong connection with the Irish people based on our principles of confidentiality, quality, accuracy, and integrity.
It’s an exciting time for the Office as we evolve to offer more supports and services across the wider civil and public service and explore new data sources to provide greater and more timely insight. These opportunities only arise because of the trust that people and institutions have invested in the CSO over the years, and maintaining this trust is key as we look forward to the next 75 years of public service.”
Congratulating the CSO on reaching this significant milestone, Mariana Kotzeva, the Director-General of Eurostat, said: "I would like to extend to you my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Irish Central Statistics Office (CSO). Today, the CSO is known for its integrity, professionalism, and spirit of innovation. It is also an active and highly respected member of the European Statistical System.
In the past 75 years, the CSO has consistently upheld the core principles and values of official statistics, providing vital data and insights to the Irish population and equipping them with knowledge needed for informed decision-making.
I am confident the CSO will continue to maintain public confidence and keep its well deserved position of a trustworthy reference point for high quality statistics and data on Ireland in the rapidly evolving data landscape and under the leadership of newly appointed Director General Jennifer Banim. I wish Jennifer every success in her new role and look forward to the continued collaboration between the CSO and Eurostat."