The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) is a professionally independent public administration agency under the government. The Office provides data for the parliament and public administration, social organizations, local authorities, scientific bodies, economic organizations, the general public and the media as well as for international organizations and users abroad. Official data regarding the socio-economic situation as well as the changes in the population of the country are published by the HCSO. The publicity work of the office is based on the following guiding principles: - objectiveness, impartiality and competency - wide-ranging publicity and transparency of data (ensuring simultaneously the protection of individual data) - synchronous information dissemination