Statistics Sweden

Statistics Sweden (Swedish: Statistiska centralbyrån [staˈtɪ̌sːtɪska sɛnˈtrɑ̂ːlˌbyːrɔn] , SCB, lit. 'Central Bureau of Statistics') is the Swedish government agency operating under the Ministry of Finance and responsible for producing official statistics for decision-making, debate and research. The agency's responsibilities include: developing, producing and disseminating statistics; active participation in international statistical cooperation; coordination and support of the Swedish system for official statistics, which includes 26 authorities responsible for official statistics in their areas of expertise. National statistics in Sweden date back to 1686 when the parishes of the Church of Sweden were ordered to start keeping records on the population. SCB's predecessor, the Tabellverket ("office for tabulation"), was set up in 1749, and the current name was adopted in 1858.