The beginnings of the Official Statistics in the Iberian Peninsula

In the Iberian Peninsula, Spain and Portugal make common cause with the History of the Science and in special in the History of the Statistics. In both countries, there exists an astonishing parallelism in the creation of the diverse official institutions which control the Official Statistical Science. Portugal, by several causes, has headed the process sometimes. The first Statistical Official Institution in the Iberian Peninsula was created in Portugal (1841) and it was the Section of Statistics and Topography. In Spain, it would wait fifteen years; in 1856 it was created the General Commission of Statistics in the Kingdom, comparable with its similar in Portugal. In relation with the Statistics, the History of Spain and Portugal is in parallel between them and to have knowledge of it will help researchers to put together and to harmonize their own interests.