Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies and the proliferation of data sources have fundamentally reshaped the global data ecosystem. Within this environment, official statistics faces increasing expectations to adapt its production models, enhance responsiveness, and reaffirm its role as a trusted provider of high-quality information. Statistics Hungary has embarked on a comprehensive modernisation process to address the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. The value of official statistics is increasingly assessed by its ability to meet evolving user needs while maintaining methodological soundness and transparency. Equally important is the reduction of response burden on data providers. To this end, the Hungarian statistical system places growing emphasis on the reuse of existing data sources. Recent legislative changes have significantly reinforced the mandate of official statistics within the national data governance framework, enabling broader access to administrative data as well as selected privately held data sources. Currently, official data production in Hungary relies on approximately 270 administrative data sources, a figure that continues to rise. These sources, combined with alternative data, increasingly substitute traditional survey-based data collection. Advanced analytical tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, are applied to process these datasets efficiently. This presentation illustrates such developments introduced by Statistics Hungary through showcasing the Virtual Hungary project, which aims to produce quasi real-time, granular statistical information available at the lowest territorial levels.