Istat turns 100, from data stories to immersive exhibition: centenary initiatives

Istat turns one hundred this year and launches a rich series of activities to celebrate its centenary. "The centenary has been designed around three fundamental words: memory, listening and the future," illustrated the programme of the celebrations by the institute's president Francesco Maria Chelli. "Our memory is about a set of initiatives and events to go beyond the celebratory moment, with the story of 100 years of statistics to offer opportunities to reflect on the richness of official statistics as a public good and a key tool to read the changes and information needs of the country".

On 9 July 1926, Law No. 1162 and the establishment of the Central Institute of Statistics gave birth to official Italian statistics, which is therefore celebrating 100 years this year. The celebrations officially open on 21 May with the presentation of the 2026 Annual Report in the Hall of Parliamentary Groups, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. "The most intense and public phase of the celebrations will be held in October in Rome, at Palazzo Esposizioni, with the Immersive Digital Exhibition," said Chelli, with the aim of "sharing the history of Istat and its path of innovation with the wider public". The exhibition will run until 30 November. The celebrations will be closed with the National Statistics Conference.

Among the centenary initiatives are the 'Data Stories', which tell the story of Italy's great demographic, social, economic and environmental transformations through a century of statistics: 16 short reports accompanied by updates of the relevant time series on the seriestoriche.istat.it website. The first History is dedicated to the education of Italians and was released on 10 February. All the other 'Stories of Data' will follow in the first half of 2026, from health to the environment, history and crime.

Thanks to the agreement signed with the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo di Roma Capitale, an immersive digital exhibition, open to the public from 10 October to 30 November 2026, will be inaugurated on 9 October at Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome. The aim is to share with the wider public the history of Istat and its path of innovation, also through targeted edutainment actions for young people and schools. An itinerant module of the exhibition will be displayed in some of the cities hosting Istat's territorial offices and will also be used in other places and contexts, including Treviso, the city that has hosted StatisticAll, the Festival of Statistics and Demography, in recent years.

A cycle of seminars on the present and future of official statistics will also be held during the Digital Exhibition, conceived as a multidisciplinary listening and discussion space dedicated to analyses and reflections on the evolution of the data ecosystem, technological and methodological challenges, changes in information needs, new forms of communication, and prospects for public research. The seminars will involve leading figures and high-profile representatives from institutions, civil society, the business world, research, academia and communication. The seminars will be an ideal lead-up to the National Statistics Conference 2026.