Methodology Documents
This page brings together the methodology notes that support our statistical publications. These documents explain how our statistics are produced, including the data sources, methods, definitions, and quality assurances that underpin each report.
As we continue to transition our publications to this new format, not all reports will have stand-alone methodology documents listed here. For any publications not included on this page, the relevant methodology notes can still be found within the report itself.
Explainer documents
We also publish a small number of “explainer” documents. These provide clear, accessible guidance on specific statistical outputs or topics, helping users understand how particular measures are constructed, what they are best used for, and any key considerations when interpreting them. Explainers may also outline planned developments to our statistics — for example, the move towards using administrative data — to give users a sense of the direction of travel. Their purpose is to offer additional clarity and context so that users can make well-informed use of our statistics.