/ stəˈtɪstɪk; NAmE / noun
1.
statistics (also informal stats ) [ pl. ] a collection of information shown in numbers :
crime / unemployment, etc. statistics
According to official statistics the disease killed over 500 people.
Statistics show that far more people are able to ride a bicycle than can drive a car.
These statistics are misleading.
—see also vital statistics
2.
statistics (also informal stats ) [ U ] the science of collecting and analysing statistics :
There is a compulsory course in statistics.
3.
[ C ] a piece of information shown in numbers :
An important statistic is that 94 per cent of crime relates to property.
I felt I was no longer being treated as a person but as a statistic.
► stat·is·tic·al / stəˈtɪstɪkl; NAmE / adjective :
statistical analysis
► stat·is·tic·al·ly / -kli; NAmE / adverb :
The difference between the two samples was not statistically significant .
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from German statistisch (adjective), Statistik (noun).