How does CBS collect data?

CBS collects as much information as possible from existing government and business registries. The use thereof is regulated by law, with top priority given to privacy and reliability. Additionally, CBS collects data through its own surveys. New data sources such as big data are also increasingly forming the basis for statistics.

Three quarters from registers

Three quarters of the figures collected and analysed by CBS come from registers of other authorities, such as the Personal Records Database, the Tax and Customs Administration, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), the national police and the Social Insurance Bank (SVB). CBS’ statutory task is to compile and publish the statistics that are needed.

Ten percent of the figures are collected from businesses and citizens. This is done by means of surveys conducted either online, by phone or face-to-face, by means of so-called ‘smart surveys’ via an app on mobile phones, or sensors for example in smartwatches that measure certain activities of people for the time-use survey.

New technologies

CBS is also increasingly working with new techniques to obtain information, constituting about 10 percent of the total. To this end, CBS uses artificial intelligence techniques such as web scraping and text mining to collect data from the internet and scanner data from supermarkets to determine consumer prices. New data sources such as traffic loops, social media and payment data provide about 5 percent of the information.

Combining all these data sources in an innovative and reliable way creates greater possibilities to produce new, up-to-date, society-oriented and more detailed statistics.

Facts that matter

CBS stands for a well-informed society, based on facts. As the designated statistical office of the Netherlands, CBS supplies reliable statistical information relevant to social issues. In doing so, CBS contributes to social debate, research, policy development and decision making. We have been doing so since 1899.

Sticking to the facts:

• 600 statistical surveys per year
• 2 thousand highly educated staff, working together from The Hague, Heerlen and Bonaire
• 70 thousand mentions in the media
• 14 billion figures in StatLine

The questions

1. How does CBS collect data?
2. How much do we cycle per week on average?
3. Who are most likely to work part-time?
4. How many people visited Bonaire by cruise ship?
5. Are people happy with the house they live in?
6. How many young women encounter street harassment?
7. What do the over-65s do online?
8. How many wind turbines in the Netherlands?
9. How far is school by bike?
10. How many museums are there?
11. How much electricity in the Caribbean Netherlands is renewable?
12. How many adults are overweight?
13. How many cargo ships dock at Dutch seaports?
14. What did we listen to on the radio in 1953?
15. What is the average lifespan in the Netherlands?
16. Where did we go for a holiday in 1947?
17. How much fish is landed?
18. Where were people in the Netherlands born?
19. What do we spend money on?
20. How old are Dutch first-time mothers on average?
21. How much cheese do we produce?
22. How are goods transported through the Netherlands?
23. How many people fall victim to cybercrime?
24. What is the most spoken language or dialect at home?
25. How many shops are there?
26. What is the value of Dutch beer exports?
27. How often do we have a goosebump moment?
28. How many cows graze in fields?
29. What are the most popular majors?
30. How tall are Dutch people?
31. How is the urban bird population doing?
32. Where do most people work?
33. What colour is our car?
34. How does CBS handle your privacy?