In order to ensure the quality of statistical information and its own activities, Statistics Lithuania (SL) follows the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (PDF), provisions of the Quality Declaration of the European Statistical System (ESS) (PDF) and the European Statistics Code of Practice (PDF).

On 15–19 November 2021, the third ESS Peer Review took place in Lithuania to assess the ESS statistical authorities’ compliance with all 16 principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice, to assist the producers of official statistics in improving their performance by providing future-oriented recommendations for improvement and to encourage authorities to support the implementation of these recommendations.  The conclusions and recommendations of the experts who performed the assessment are presented in the Report on the Compliance of Statistics Lithuania with the Code of Practice and Assessment of further Improvement and Development of NSS (PDF) (for more information on the ESS quality requirements please see the Eurostat's quality website).

A quality management system, conforming to the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard, was implemented at SL in 2007 and in 2022 it  was re-certified for the sixth time in turn according to the ISO 9001:2015 version.

The quality management system of SL is an efficient management system helping to direct the institution's activity towards the main objective – constant improvement of the quality of statistical information and satisfaction of user needs based on the established system of values, through the enhancement of the efficiency of processes (PDF), managament of risks and inclusion of as many staff members as possible.

The main trends in activity of SL aimed at quality management and continuous development in the institution are established in the Quality Policy (PDF) and quality objectives of SL.

There are a plenty of quality improvement methods and tools, such as monitoring of performance and quality indicators, quality reporting, self-assessment of survey managers, testing and revision of statistical questionnaires, monitoring of user satisfaction and statistics usability, risk management, audits of quality management system, etc., introduced and regularly applied by SL.

An important direction of the activity of SL is the reduction of statistical reporting burden (for more information on this topic please see Reduction of Statistical Reporting Burden).

SL pays particular attention to strengthening the relation with users. Users are provided a possibility to put forward suggestions and comments by e-mail and via the Internet, attend meetings and trainings, which are regularly organized by SL. Following the provisions of the Code, SL pays particular attention to informing users about methods used for the preparation of statistical information and its quality. The website of Statistics Lithuania, section Statistics (pre-defined tables), presents the methodologies of statistical surveys and quality reports on statistical indicators based on the ESS quality requirements for statistical information.

In order to ensure the quality of statistical information and provided services, SL, starting from 2005, has been regularly carrying out user satisfaction surveys. The results of these surveys are analyzed and improvement actions are planned. From 2007, it has been started to estimate the customer satisfaction level.

Pursuant to the provisions of the European Statistics Code of Practice, approved by the Statistical Programme Committee on 24 February 2005 and revised by the ESS Committee in September 2011, and with regard to the experience of the statistical offices of the European Union, Statistics Lithuania provides an opportunity for the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Finance, Economy, and Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania to receive press releases on gross domestic product (GDP), inflation and the unemployment rate, as well as other press releases on topical social and economic phenomena, one day prior to the official release of this statistical information.

These provisions for the advance receipt of statistical information have been approved by Order No DĮ-175 of 29 July 2014 of the Director General of Statistics Lithuania.

The persons listed above, prior to exercising the right of advance receipt of statistical information, shall sign specific obligations not to disseminate statistical information received prior to its official release.

Upon signing, a person undertakes to use statistical information only to familiarise oneself with it in order to prepare to comment on the statistical information and in no circumstances to communicate or enable third parties to access such information. In the event of breach of the obligation not to disseminate statistical information received prior to its official release, the right to advance receipt of statistical information shall be terminated.

Document updated: 2023-09-22