statistics
n. C / Un. a collection of numbers and facts that show information about something. You use these to understand patterns, like how many people live in a city or how often a team wins.
n. a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of masses of numerical data. When referring to the data itself, it functions as a plural noun.
The latest statistics show that unemployment is falling.
Government officials released the new health statistics to show the impact of the recent vaccination campaign.
While the raw statistics suggest a significant increase in productivity, a closer analysis reveals that the growth is concentrated in only two specific sectors of the economy.
From German Statistik, from New Latin statisticum (“of the state”) and Italian statista (“statesman, politician”), compare English statist. Statistik introduced by Gottfried Achenwall (1749), originally designated the analysis of data about the state.
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Functions as a singular noun when referring to the field of study; functions as a plural noun when referring to the data points themselves.
The statistics shows that...The statistics show that...When referring to data or numerical facts, the word is plural and requires a plural verb.