Hellenic Statistical Authority ELSTAT

Overview

The Hellenic Statistical Authority (Greek: Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή), known by its acronym ELSTAT, is the national statistical service of Greece. Established as an independent authority, ELSTAT is not subject to governmental control, operating instead under the oversight of the Hellenic Parliament. Its headquarters are located in Piraeus, with 50 Regional Statistical Offices distributed across Greece.

History and Founding

Statistical activity in Greece dates to the early nineteenth century. A Section of Statistics was established within the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry around 1907, upgraded in 1913 to a Central Division responsible for collecting and publishing national statistics on population, agriculture, trade, and transport. Major surveys of this era included the Agricultural Census of 1911, the Population Census of 1920, and the Census of Refugees from Asia Minor in 1923.

The agency was formally established as the National Statistical Service of Greece (Εθνική Στατιστική Υπηρεσία Ελλάδος) in 1956 by Legislative Decree 3627/1956. In 1986, Presidential Decree 224/1986 reorganized it as the General Secretariat of the National Statistical Service within the Ministry of National Economy. Following the adoption of new statistical law 3832/2010, ELSTAT was reconstituted as a fully independent authority — its current institutional form — with an expanded mandate to align Greek statistics with European Union standards.

Collections and Holdings

ELSTAT maintains a Digital Library (dlib.statistics.gr) that provides free public access to all its publications, treating statistical data as a public good. Core publications include The Greek Economy, Living Conditions in Greece, Greece in Figures, and regular releases on the Sustainable Development Goals. Historical holdings include population census data stretching back to 1821, as well as the 1923 Refugee Census.

Notable Materials

Of particular relevance to historical and media research are ELSTAT's digitized Historical Population Census Diagrams (1821–2021), the archive of statistical publications dating to the early twentieth century, and the Catalog of biographical newspaper articles available through partner portals. ELSTAT also cooperates with OpenArchives.gr to make its digital library discoverable through aggregated Greek cultural heritage portals.

Access and Usage

All ELSTAT publications are freely available online. The Digital Library can be browsed without registration. ELSTAT employs approximately 625 staff at its central office and regional offices. Research inquiries and data requests can be directed through the agency's official contact channels.