100 years of Estonian statistics
In Estonia, the dedicated and organised collection of data for the purpose of official statistics began on 1 March 1921.
The virtual exhibition “100 Years of Estonian Statistics” celebrates the centenary of Estonian statistics, showing visitors how the collection of official data about the Estonian population began and how statistics became classified information in the Soviet era.
The exhibition “100 Years of Estonian Statistics” features 14 episodes about the history of Statistics Estonia, covering the formation and development of the statistical office and its activities in different periods.
For example, did you know that during the busiest days of the first Estonian census in 1922 there were over 16,000 people involved in carrying out the census? In the Stalinist era, it was predicted that statistics would become obsolete and be replaced by socialist political economy. Right before the restoration of Estonia’s independence in 1991, it was impossible to produce exact economic statistics as respondents were defiantly evading data submission obligations. There are descriptions of the population censuses in 1922, 1941 and 1959, each illustrating a different era and value system.
The exhibition includes historical documents and photos as well as some interactive graphs. The exhibition is based on archive materials curated by the historians Olev Liivik and Hiljar Tammela.