Girolamo Ghilini Natural and Political Observations upon the Bills of Mortality John Graunt stat- etymology state data
The term 'statistic' was introduced by the Italian scholar Girolamo Ghilini in 1589 with reference to this science. The earliest writing containing statistics in Europe dates back to 1663, with the publication of Natural and Political Observations upon the Bills of Mortality by John Graunt. Early applications of statistical thinking revolved around the needs of states to base policy on demographic and economic data, hence its stat- etymology. The scope of the discipline of statistics broadened in the early 19th century to include the collection and analysis of data in general. Today, statistics is widely employed in government, business, and natural and social sciences.
