The former office of Statistics Netherlands in Voorburg

The office of Statistics Netherlands in Heerlen

Statistics Netherlands, founded in 1899, is a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands. In Dutch it is known as the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, often abbreviated to CBS. It is a department of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and is located in The Hague and Heerlen. Since 3 January 2004, Statistics Netherlands has been a self-standing organisation, or quango.

The CBS collects statistical information about, amongst others:

• economic growth
• consumer pricing
• income of persons and households
• count of the population
• unemployment

The CBS carries out a program that needs to be ratified by the Central Commission for Statistics. This independent commission must guard the impartiality, independence, quality, relevance, and continuity of the CBS, according to the Law on the CBS of 1996 (Wet op het Centraal bureau en de Centrale commissie voor de statistiek).

[edit] External links

• (Dutch) Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
• Statistics Netherlands
• StatLine