DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
Summarize, analyze, and interpret key data features with confidence
Unlocking Data Insights with Descriptive Statistics
Organize, summarize and visualize data for quick, clear understanding
WHY STATISTICS?
Look at some excerpts from newspapers below:
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s Statistical Handbook (2025) reported that the number
of registered print publications in India increased from 5,932 in 1957 to 1,54,523 in 2024–25,
showing steady growth in the print media sector.
A Times of India article (June 2024) cited a Reuters Institute survey, stating that 71% of Indians rely
on online media for news, with 49% getting news primarily from social media such as WhatsApp
and Facebook.
The Indian Readership Survey 2024, covered by [Link], found that 36% of Indians aged 12 and
older (around 400 million people) read a daily newspaper at least once per month.
SIGNIFICANCE OF STATISTICS
According to India’s Minister of Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh, statistics play a vital role in evidence-based policy-
making, helping monitor sustainable development goals, evaluate program outcomes, and strengthen national
planning.
Statistics are crucial in economics and government, guiding investment, tax policies, and welfare distribution.
For instance, the NITI Aayog poverty index uses statistical sampling to measure poverty reduction across
states.
In business and management, nearly 80% of Indian business leaders report that data and statistics are
essential for informed decision-making, helping companies forecast sales, identify risks, and improve resource
allocation.
Education and scientific research depend on statistical analysis to measure progress, assess learning
outcomes, and validate experimental results, ensuring that academic findings are credible and unbiased.
Statistics foster transparency and accountability in governance, empower citizens to understand social
indicators like literacy, unemployment, and inflation, and support India’s transition into a data-driven
knowledge society
DATA
Data refers to a collection of facts, observations, or measurements that are gathered for
analysis and decision-making.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF DATA
The daily temperature readings (e.g., 32°C, 30°C, 29°C) recorded by a weather station in
Chennai over a week.
The heights and weights of students collected in a school health survey (for example, 150
cm, 52 kg).
The number of mobile phones sold by a store each day (e.g., Monday – 50, Tuesday – 45,
Wednesday – 60).
The literacy rates of Indian states from census reports (e.g., Kerala – 96.2%, Bihar –
70.9%).
The votes received by different candidates in an election (e.g., Candidate A – 1,25,000;
Candidate B – 98,500).
The blood groups of patients recorded in a hospital (A+, B+, O–, etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF DATA: BASED ON NATURE OF DATA
Data
Qualitative or
Quantitative or
Categorical( labels or
Numerical
characteristics
(numbers or
describing qualities
quantities)
like gender or colour)
CLASSIFICATION OF DATA: BASED ON CONTINUITY
Raw data:
Examples: The list of weights recorded for 15 students in a classroom, such as: 61, 79, 90, 53, 79,
102, 45, 67, 105, 73, 72, 85, 81, 77, 98 kg. This unorganized list is raw data because it has not
been processed or summarized.
Number of cell Number of families(f)
Discrete Data: Takes only
phones(x) specific values and cannot be subdivided further.
Example: 0 1
1 7
2 15
3 12
4 5
Continuous Data: Canintake
Height interval cms(x) any value
Number ofwithin
students(f)a range.
150-159 5
Example:
160-169 12
170-179 18
180-189 10
190-199 5
MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
Measures of central tendency are statistical measures for locating a single score that is
most representative or descriptive of all scores in a distribution
MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
Measures of
Central
Tendency
Mathematica Positional
l Average Average
Median
Arithmetic
Mean
Quartiles
Geometric
Mean
Harmonic Deciles
Mean
Percentiles
Mode
ARITHMETIC MEAN
The mean, also called an arithmetic mean or average, is the sum of a set of scores in a
distribution, divided by the total number of scores summed.
ARITHMETIC MEAN - DIRECT METHOD
ARITHMETIC MEAN – SHORT-CUT METHOD
ARITHMETIC MEAN – STEP-DEVIATION
METHOD
COMBINED ARITHMETIC MEAN
MISSING FREQUENCIES – MEAN
MISSING FREQUENCIES – MEAN - SOLUTION
MISSING FREQUENCIES-MEAN
Two missing frequencies
MISSING FREQUENCIES – MEAN - SOLUTION