A number in a database can look self-explanatory. In practice, making that number comparable across countries can involve a surprising amount of discussion.
On 2–3 September, Nordic experts in health and welfare statistics met in Vaasa, Finland, for the annual plenary meeting of the Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee (NOMESCO) and the Nordic Social Statistical Committee (NOSOSCO). As secretariat for the two committees, Nordregio supports this work throughout the year. The plenary gives us a chance to bring the wider network together, discuss ongoing developments in the field of statistics, and continue conversations that are often much more detailed than the finished datasets suggest.
What makes a figure comparable?
There is no automatic answer. The working groups behind NOMESCO and NOSOSCO spend time on definitions, classifications, population groups, methodological differences and unexpected changes in the data. A figure that appears straightforward to a user may have required several rounds of checking and discussion before it got there.
That work is easy to overlook, but it is part of what makes comparisons across Nordic countries possible. The point is not that every national system is the same (they are not) but that users should be able to understand what the numbers represent and where differences matter.
What did our guests bring to the discussion?
Alongside updates from the NOMESCO and NOSOSCO working groups, the plenary brought in perspectives on some of the wider developments relevant to health and welfare statistics.
Marie Vikdal from the Nordic Classification Centre (on the right) gave an update on the transition from ICD-10 to ICD-11. Bengt Soldati Andersson, Project Manager at the Swedish eHealth Agency, joined us to discuss the European Health Data Space (EHDS), while Eveli Voolens from Statistics Estonia shared insights into the production of social and health statistics in Estonia.
We would like to thank our guests for bringing those perspectives into the room and helping connect the committees’ work to developments taking place beyond the Nordic network.
Why does being in the same room matter?
Because not every useful exchange fits neatly into an agenda item. What we heard in Vaasa was a clear appreciation for the opportunity to meet colleagues across countries, ask questions directly and continue conversations outside the formal sessions.
The joint excursion gave some of those conversations a different setting, while the warm welcome in Vaasa added a local dimension to the meeting. We also heard an appetite for even more opportunities to work through questions together in smaller groups. For a network built around specialist knowledge, the value of meeting in person is often as much in the exchange between presentations as in the presentations themselves.
Where does Nordregio fit in?
Nordregio hosts the NOMESCO-NOSOSCO secretariat and coordinates the work of the committees, supporting the statistical activities and the communication of their work. Our role is to help make the cooperation work in practice: bringing people and processes together, supporting the statistical work and helping make the results easier to access and use.
- NOMESCO – Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee
- NOSOSCO – Nordic Social Statistical Committee
The committees bring together Nordic expertise on health and welfare statistics and support the production and exchange of comparable statistical information across the Nordic countries. - Secretariat: Nordregio
Want to explore the data yourself?
The discussions in Vaasa ultimately lead back to the statistics.
Visit the Nordic Health and Welfare Statistics website to explore indicators, the database and publications covering health, welfare and social conditions across the Nordic countries.
