The exhibition 100 Years of Estonian Statistics takes a look into the Soviet period when statistics were manipulated as well as into the clean-up that took place after Estonia regained independence
Conscious and purposeful data collection for producing official statistics started in Estonia 101 years ago. The virtual exhibition 100 Years of Estonian Statistics concludes the year of the 100th anniversary of Statistics Estonia by taking the viewers on a discovery trip from the first official data on the population of Estonia to the classified statistics of the Soviet Union.
The exhibition 100 Years of Estonian Statistics can be viewed on the website https://100.stat.ee/en. It includes 14 stories about the history of the statistical office, its work and activities, the creation and development stages of the organisation.
Did you know, for example, that during the peak of the 1922 census more than 16,000 people were involved in its organisation? During Stalin’s reign, however, it was predicted that statistics would be abandoned and replaced with socialist political economy. Right before Estonia regained its independence in 1991, it was not possible to provide a complete picture of the situation of the Estonian economy, as data providers were very resistant to submitting data.
The exhibition presents many other interesting facts, historical documents and photos. There are also interactive infographics. It is available in both the Estonian and English language.
The exhibition was created by historians Olev Liivik and Hiljar Tammela using archival materials. “Our goal was to discuss the processes, i.e. the topics and organisation of statistics from the 19th century until the present day, as well as events in the history of statistics, which are primarily censuses,” said Olev Liivik, one of the curators of the exhibition.
For the exhibition, the curators chose three censuses, conducted in years 1922, 1941 and 1959, which represent different eras and value systems. “As a researcher of the Soviet period, I have come across the statistics of the post-war period quite a bit, which is why the main surprises for me were from the period of the Republic of Estonia. I was impressed with the high level of Estonian statistics and how capable, innovative and knowledgeable was the duo Albert Pullerits as the director of the statistical bureau and Anton Tooms as his deputy,” added Liivik.
According to Liivik, the history of Estonian statistics is quite colourful. “It should be studied as if with a microscope, but not with a telescope, which is what nowadays unfortunately happens to the study of many areas and phenomena,” added Liivik.
The exhibition 100 Years of Estonian Statistics was built by the studio Platvorm and designed by Polaar Studio.
For further information: https://100.stat.ee/en.