At the Office for National Statistics (ONS), we collect data on a wide range of topics and from different sources. This includes data from our own surveys, as well as existing data that are collected by other organisations across the UK.
Some of these data sources include what is known as administrative data. We take these data and sometimes join them together with other data sources to create linked data. We then use all this information to produce official statistics.
What does administrative data mean?
We use administrative data, also known as admin data, to create some of our statistics. Organisations collect these data for their own administrative or operational purposes, which is where the name comes from.
They are made up of information that we all provide when we access public services such as the tax, benefits, health and education systems. We also use existing data from other sources and organisations, such as utility suppliers and supermarkets.
For example, we used registered births and deaths data alongside health and census data to create statistics on health inequalities in different social classes, based on a person's occupation. This allows people to make informed decisions about the best way to allocate health services in local communities.
You can find more information about administrative data on the Administrative Data Research UK website.
What does linked data mean?
The greatest benefits of administrative data come when data created by one government department or public service are linked to data from others. This is known as linked data. We link data that we hold to other data sources to help identify new patterns and trends and develop further insight to our statistics. By linking data together, we combine their resources and enrich the insights they can provide.
When we link data that we hold to other data sources, we do it in a way that protects the personal information of individuals and businesses.
We used linked data to help understand infection rates in different groups of the population during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This included combining public transport data with information from our own Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey to inform policy-makers.
More about data
Learn more about how we collect and use data to produce statistics on our What are data? and What are statistics and why do they matter? pages.