How to use the statistics release calendars to find when figures come out
Every official statistic in the UK is pre-announced. The GOV.UK research and statistics finder lists upcoming releases from government departments and the ONS, and the ONS has its own release calendar. Each entry shows the date, the time and whether the date is provisional or confirmed. Use the calendars to check whether a figure quoted was the latest at the time, and to know when a claim can next be checked against new data.
Why the release calendar matters for checking
A figure that was the latest when a claim was made may have been replaced since. Equally, a claim can only use figures that had been published by then. Knowing release dates lets you answer two questions quickly: was this the latest number on the day it was said, and when will there be a new one? See also when UK statistics are published .
Step 1: search upcoming statistics on GOV.UK
Go to GOV.UK research and statistics and choose Statistics (upcoming) . You can filter by topic, by organisation and by date, or search by keyword. Each entry gives:
the title and the period covered;
the document type, such as accredited official statistics or official statistics;
the organisation;
the release date and time;
the state: provisional (the date may still change), confirmed , or cancelled .
Switch to Statistics (published) to find past releases by the same producer.
Source: GOV.UK research and statistics
Step 2: use the ONS release calendar for ONS figures
The ONS release calendar lists published, upcoming and cancelled releases, with filters by topic and date. On 13 October 2026 it listed 411 upcoming releases. It also offers email alerts, an RSS feed and "Add to calendar" for individual releases. Every ONS bulletin also shows its own "Next release" date in the header, which is often the quickest check.
Source: ONS release calendar
Step 3: read the release time
Most official statistics are released at 9:30am. Some ONS economic statistics come out at 7:00am: on 13 October 2026, for example, the ONS calendar listed GDP monthly estimate, Index of Production and UK Trade time series for August 2026 at 7:00am on 15 October 2026. If a claim about a release appears before its published time, the speaker may have had pre-release access, which is tightly controlled; see pre-release access .
Worked example: a busy fortnight in October 2026
On 13 October 2026 we checked when several widely quoted figures would next be updated:
What this tells a fact-checker: any claim on 20 October about "the latest unemployment rate" should use the new release, and a claim about inflation made on 20 October should still use the August figure. Debate around the Budget on 28 October will draw on borrowing data published a week earlier, and on a new OBR forecast published the same day.
Worked example: finding one release by keyword
NHS England's own statistics pages can be hard to reach, but its releases are pre-announced on GOV.UK. Searching upcoming statistics on GOV.UK for "referral to treatment" on 13 October 2026 returned "Referral to treatment waiting times statistics for consultant-led elective care for September 2026", document type accredited official statistics, organisation NHS England, release date 12 November 2026 at 9:30am, state provisional. The same search also surfaced related releases due the same morning, such as cancer waiting times for September 2026. One search gives you the date, the time, the status and the producer.
What you will not find in the calendar
Management information and ad hoc figures. Numbers released in a press notice, a speech or an answer to a parliamentary question may not be official statistics and are not pre-announced. Check whether the figure later appears in a statistical release.
Transparency data , such as departmental spending and contracts, published routinely but not as official statistics.
Forecasts. OBR forecasts follow fiscal events, which the OBR announces on its own website rather than in the statistics calendars.
If a number cannot be matched to any scheduled release, ask the department for its source, or see how to use FOI .
Step 4: check what was latest on the day of a claim
Note the date and time the claim was made.
Open the producer's release page and use "View previous releases" (ONS) or the update history (GOV.UK) to list release dates.
Find the last release before the claim. That is the figure "now" or "latest" should match.
If a newer release has since come out, say so and give both, with dates.
Figures can also be revised in later releases; see how to understand revisions .
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The devolved governments and NISRA publish their own forthcoming statistics lists on their websites, and many also appear on GOV.UK. Start from Scottish Government statistics , Welsh Government statistics and research and NISRA statistics , and see our Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland source guides.
Sources: Scottish Government statistics, Welsh Government statistics and research, NISRA statistics
Checklist
Date and time of the claim noted
Producer's release calendar checked
Last release before the claim identified
Release state noted (provisional, confirmed, cancelled)
Newer release checked since the claim
Alerts set for figures you follow
Official sources used in this guide
Sources: GOV.UK: research and statistics, GOV.UK: upcoming statistics, ONS release calendar, OBR: Autumn 2026 forecast date announced, Code of Practice for Statistics
Questions
What does a provisional release date mean?
That the producer expects to publish then but has not fixed the date. A confirmed date should only change in exceptional cases.
Source: GOV.UK: research and statistics
Why was a release cancelled?
Producers sometimes cancel or merge releases, for example because of data problems. The GOV.UK listing shows cancelled releases separately.
Source: GOV.UK: research and statistics
Can I get alerts?
Yes. The ONS release calendar offers email alerts and RSS, and GOV.UK search pages offer email updates.
Source: GOV.UK: research and statistics
Are all official statistics in the calendar?
Official statistics must be pre-announced under the Code of Practice for Statistics, so a figure that never appeared in a calendar is unlikely to be an official statistic.
Source: GOV.UK: research and statistics