Geography

The framework of territorial units, boundaries and maps that provide the structure for collecting, processing, storing and aggregating data

  • Licences

    Third-party rights, licences and attribution/copyright statements that you need to use when reproducing our geographical material.

  • UK geographies

    Summary of the main territorial units used in the production of National Statistics.

  • Geographical products

    A range of products that support the use of geography in the statistical process.

  • UK parliamentary constituencies

    Guidance on data and information available for UK parliamentary constituencies.

Geography is key to virtually all National Statistics. It provides the structure for collecting, processing, storing and aggregating the data. The framework provided by geography is often the only factor different datasets have in common.

There are many different geographic unit types (administrative, health, electoral, postcode etc) and their boundaries frequently do not align. A range of geographies are liable to frequent revisions.

The UK's inconsistent geography has made it extremely challenging to produce and compare meaningful statistics over time. However, there are various initiatives, policies and products designed to address this issue. These resources promote a harmonised, cross-departmental approach to the geographic aspect of statistics.