Environmental subsidies: documentation of statistics

The statistics on environmental subsidies describe the allocation and amount of environment-based subsidies and other transfers paid by the state of Finland and foreign countries by sector and industry. Subsidies are classified according to measures describing environmental pollution and conservation of natural resources. Data are collected from various sources and published once a year. 
 

The statistics are based on register data. The statistical population consists of units engaged in economic activity in Finland. The units are aggregated so that they can no longer be separated in the statistics. Institutional sectors (non-financial corporations, non-profit institutions, households, the public sector and rest of the world) are also aggregated.
 

The data of the statistics are produced from the data of Statistics Finland's national accounts and European Union statistics. The data from the statistics’ different data sources are linked to the classifications required by the statistics.
 

The subsidies and transfers described in the statistics are given in millions of euros.
 

The statistics do not contain indices.
 

The reference period of the statistics is a calendar year.
 

The statistics cover the whole of Finland as a single area. The statistics do not include regional classifications.
 

The statistics contain data on environmental subsidies and other current transfers paid by general government and the institutions of the European Union. The statistics cover all industries according to the industrial classification on the character level.
 

The statistics cover the period 2014 to 2021.
 

The statistics are disseminated annually.
 

The statistics are compiled in accordance with the principles of national accounts, due to which these statistics are subject to the same requirements on overall accuracy. The main uncertainty in the statistics is related to expert estimates describing the environmental share of subsidies and current transfers.
 

The statistics on environmental subsidies are produced each year approximately 24 months after the end of the statistical year.
 

The statistics are published in accordance with the release calendar.
 

Due to compliance with uniform statistical principles prepared by Eurostat, the statistics are comparable with statistics of other EU Member States.
 

The statistics are comparable from 2014 onwards.
 

The statistics were compiled in accordance with the national accounts and they correspond to the frame, methods and definitions used in the national accounts.
 

There are no other statistics which would release data corresponding with the data in the statistics on environmental subsidies.
 

The statistics are based on administrative sources. The most significant source is Statistics Finland's data. Of Statistics Finland’s data, the annual national accounts are used not only as a source of data, but also as a framework for the statistics. The data used for the statistics are based on the data of the national accounts, published some three months before.
 

Nearly all data in the statistics are composed of data supplied by Statistics Finland, which are collected from the databases of Statistics Finland. The remaining data consist of individual pieces of external data collected from Internet sources.   
 

The basic data are collected once a year.
 

The share of environmental subsidies is estimated from subsidies, capital transfers and other current transfers reported in the national accounts.
 

The received data are compared to previous data with the same content and any data related to the same topic.
 

Statistics Finland

Economic Statistics

The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.

Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.

Further information: Statistical legislation

The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed in accordance with the requirements of the Statistics Act (280/2004), the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act (1050/2018). The data materials are protected at all stages of processing with the necessary physical and technical solutions. Statistics Finland has compiled detailed directions and instructions for confidential processing of the data. Employees have access only to the data essential for their duties. The premises where unit-level data are processed are not accessible to outsiders. Members of the personnel have signed a pledge of secrecy upon entering the service. Violation of data protection is punishable.

Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)

According to the Statistics Act (280/2004), the data of the statistics are in the public domain.

The tables in the statistics are produced by using/editing a table’s classification on a level high or general enough to prevent the emergence of small cell frequencies.

The Statistics Act (280/2004) defines the data on the number of enterprises as being in the public domain, which is why even small cell frequencies do not need to be protected. In quantity tables, cells containing only a small number of observations (threshold value) or dominated by one or two units (dominance rule) are protected by suppressing the value of the cell to prevent the data of an individual enterprise being revealed. In addition, other cells have been suppressed to prevent the calculation of the primarily suppressing cell values with the aid of marginal sums. The suppressed cells in released tables are marked by single quotation marks ’..’. Further information on suppression can be found in the Handbook on Statistical Disclosure Control (2010).
The data of the statistics are not released in identifiable form outside Statistics Finland. The use of the data for scientific research and statistical surveys is possible only on the basis of a separate application for licence to use statistical data and in unidentifiable form. Further information about licences.
 

Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data are public after they have been updated in the web service.

Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland

The results of the statistics on the environmental subsidies are published on the home page of the statistics on the predefined date. The links on the home page lead to the description of the statistics, concepts and definitions as well as statistical database tables (StatFin), which are free of charge.
 

Statistical data are published as database tables in the StatFin database. The database is the primary publishing site of data, and new data are updated first there. When releasing statistical data, existing database tables can be updated with new data or completely new database tables can be published.

In addition to statistical data published in the StatFin database, a release on the key data is usually published in the web service. If the release contains data concerning several reference periods (e.g. monthly and annual data), a review bringing together these data is published in the web service. Database tables updated at the time of publication are listed both in the release and in the review. In some cases, statistical data can also be published as mere database releases in the StatFin database. No release or review is published in connection with these database releases.

Releases and database tables are published in three languages, in Finnish, Swedish and English. The language versions of releases may have more limited content than in Finnish.

Information about changes in the publication schedules of releases and database tables and about corrections are given as change releases in the web service.

Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.

The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.

Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.

The OSF quality criteria and recommendation on quality description
 

Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The quality management framework of the field of statistics is the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP). The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are also compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.

Further information: Quality management | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)

Data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may only be handled at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.

Further information: Publication principles for statistics

Unless otherwise separately stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer of the data and the owner of the copyright. The terms of use for statistical data