SAS is a proud supporter of the first ever World Statistics Day today, October 20, 2010. To help celebrate the occasion, SAS is highlighting the many ways that statistics affect people around the globe. In fact, SAS has gathered more than 24 quick posts – at least one for each hour of World Statistics Day – that feature interesting, fun and informative stories about statistics.

Many of our SAS bloggers have also written about the day. We invite you to join us in celebrating the event!

What is World Statistics Day?

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proclaimed World Statistics Day as a way to raise awareness about the importance of official government statistics. According to its Web site, the global celebration acknowledges "the service provided by the global statistical system at the national and international levels and hopes to help strengthen the awareness and trust of the public in official statistics. It serves as an advocacy tool to further support the work of statisticians across different settings, cultures and domains."

Why is SAS celebrating?

SAS has a long history of helping countries around the world glean insights from data. Every day, SAS customers find powerful ways to use statistics to understand complex issues, solve important challenges and improve the lives of millions of people around the world. Governments across the globe use SAS software to tackle challenging social issues such as improving public health, enhancing public safety and conserving natural resources. Read about specific customer examples from Uganda, South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Australia and Denmark.

How to be a part of the celebration

• Wish a statistician “Happy World Statistics Day."
• Watch "World Statistics Day – How Statistics Makes a Difference in the World" on the SAS Software YouTube channel.
• Join in the first ever #statchat on Twitter from 10:20-11:20 a.m. Eastern Time (U.S.).
• Follow World Statistics Day on Twitter and tweet about the celebration using #worldstatsday.

Every day, people around the world find powerful ways to use statistics to understand complex issues, solve important challenges … and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

Every day, statistics plays a critical role in informing public policy and improving human welfare. SAS joins the world in recognizing and celebrating statistics and the tremendous impact it has on our lives.