Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is the UK's chartered professional body for statisticians, founded in 1834. It serves statisticians, academics, and data professionals through peer-reviewed journals, Chartered Statistician accreditation, training, conferences, policy advocacy, and a global network of sections and local groups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1834
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Royal Statistical Society does
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is a UK-registered charity (No. 306096) and the country's only chartered professional body for statisticians, founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London and renamed in 1887. It operates a portfolio of peer-reviewed academic journals (Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, B, and C, plus the 2026-launched open access RSS: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence journal), the Significance magazine (since 2004), and the Real World Data Science platform. Since January 2023, journal publishing has been conducted through a five-year partnership with Oxford University Press, which distributes RSS journals to global academic libraries. RSS also runs a pilot AI chatbot assistant, Knowbot, developed with the Mike Hudson Foundation for member inquiries.
The society generates revenue through journal licensing royalties from OUP (approximately one-third of income), membership subscriptions across Fellow, Professional, Corporate, and e-Student tiers, training programs (public courses, online courses, in-company training, and Lean & 6 Sigma), conferences, and a community jobs board. Its go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, leveraging an ecosystem of 20+ specialized sections (Medical, Official Statistics, Data Science, International Development) and 20+ local groups spanning the UK, Nigeria, India, Singapore, and the Gulf region. RSS awards the Chartered Statistician (CStat) designation, the only professionally accredited statistical qualification in the UK, and operates an awards portfolio including the Guy Medal, Bradford Hill Medal, David Cox Medal, and the Statistical Excellence Awards for journalism and trustworthiness.
RSS serves professional statisticians, academics, government statisticians (notably the Office for National Statistics), healthcare and pharmaceutical statisticians, business and industrial data professionals, journalists, and students. The society is governed by a Council, led by Chief Executive Stian Westlake (appointed April 2020) and President Professor Sir John Aston, with 409 employees headquartered in London and moving to a new permanent office at 142 Southwark Bridge Road in 2026.
Royal Statistical Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Royal Statistical Society
- Legal name
- The Royal Statistical Society
- Website
- https://rss.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1834
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Royal Statistical Society is the UK's chartered professional body for statisticians, founded in 1834. It serves statisticians, academics, and data professionals through peer-reviewed journals, Chartered Statistician accreditation, training, conferences, policy advocacy, and a global network of sections and local groups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Royal Statistical Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Statistical Society Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL), Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE)
Keywords
Where Royal Statistical Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Royal Statistical Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Journal Publications: Journals provide approximately one-third of the Society's income. Published by Oxford University Press since January 2023, the journals include JRSSA, JRSSB, JRSSC, and Significance magazine. Cross-subsidizes wide range of RSS activities.
- Membership Dues: Fellow, professional, corporate, e-student, and standard membership categories. No change in membership cost anticipated. Members receive journal access and other benefits.
- Training and Events: RSS Training offers public courses, online courses, in-company training, and Lean & 6 Sigma programs. Conference events, webinars, and professional development courses generate revenue.
- Jobs Board: RSS maintains a jobs board for the statistics and data science community, offering advertising opportunities for employers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Fellow Membership - Full professional membership for statisticians |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Membership - Chartered Statistician and Graduate Statistician designations |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Membership - For organizations |
| Subscription | Annual | e-Student Membership - For students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Royal Statistical Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Royal Statistical Society is the UK's chartered professional body and learned society for statisticians and data scientists, founded in 1834. It sells professional memberships (Fellow, Professional, Corporate, e-Student), publishes peer-reviewed journals and magazines, runs training courses and conferences, awards chartered statistician (CStat) accreditation, and operates a careers/jobs board for the statistics profession.
Product overview
The Royal Statistical Society operates a portfolio of academic publications including three peer-reviewed journals (Series A, Series B, Series C), a bimonthly magazine (Significance), and a fully open access journal (RSS: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence). The Society also offers professional development programs through accredited certifications, training courses, and operates Knowbot, an AI-powered chatbot assistant for member inquiries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (JRSS A)
Quantifiable outcome
- Professionals can achieve Chartered Statistician (CStat) status through RSS accreditation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Royal Statistical Society
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Royal Statistical Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Royal Statistical Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.
- Oxford University Press (OUP)coreFrom January 2023, OUP became the publisher for RSS journals (JRSSA, JRSSB, JRSSC) and Significance magazine. OUP is a highly respected academic publisher with global reach, publishing over 450 journals with two-thirds in partnership with learned societies. The five-year contract secures journal income for RSS.
- The Alan Turing InstituteflagshipPartnership to support Joint Biosecurity Centre COVID-19 response. Combined statistical expertise from RSS and Alan Turing Institute for pandemic data analysis.
- Mike Hudson FoundationcoreRSS is piloting Knowbot, an AI assistant developed by the Mike Hudson Foundation. Knowbot provides information on RSS work, membership, and activities. Mike Hudson Foundation provides pro bono AI tools for nonprofits.
- PSI (Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry)coreRSS Medical Section collaborates with PSI on events and professional development for medical statisticians in pharmaceutical industry.
- NIHR Statistics GroupcoreRSS Medical Section works jointly with NIHR Statistics Group on medical statistics events and initiatives.
- Health Statistics User Group (HSUG)coreRSS Official Statistics Section collaborates with HSUG on webinars and events relating to health statistics and COVID-19.
- PARIS21majorRSS International Development Section represents RSS at PARIS21, collaborating on international statistics development and Sustainable Development Goals.
- AIMS (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences)majorRSS collaborates with AIMS on volunteer tutoring programs and statistical education initiatives in Africa. RSS volunteers teach statistics at AIMS centers.
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)coreJointly organize the Annual Perspectives on Statistics in Medicine (formerly Bradford Hill memorial lecture) with LSHTM. Collaborative events and lectures.
- Statistical Ambassadors NetworkcoreRSS statistical ambassadors provide expertise to journalists and media on statistics topics. Network supports correct use of statistics in media.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Royal Statistical Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Alan Turing Institute: UK national institute for data science and AI, with which RSS partnered on COVID-19 response. Comparable as an emerging authority in data science/AI with overlapping audience and policy influence, though more research-focused than membership-led.
Direct peers
- American Statistical Association: The primary US professional society for statisticians, offering membership, accreditation, peer-reviewed journals (JASA), conferences, and advocacy. Directly comparable to RSS in mission, structure, and member services.
- Institute of Mathematics and its Applications: UK professional body for mathematics and its applications, publishing journals via OUP and offering professional accreditation. Closely comparable to RSS as a UK learned society with shared OUP publishing partner and overlapping academic segments.
- International Statistical Institute: Global umbrella organization for statisticians and statistics societies, including ISI membership and the International Statistical Review. Comparable as a peer professional body serving statisticians internationally, with overlapping partnerships (e.g., IAOS, IASE).
- International Biometric Society: International society promoting development and application of statistical methods in the biosciences, publishing Biometrics and similar journals. Comparable as a peer learned society with overlapping membership in medical and applied statistics.
- Operational Research Society: UK professional body for operational research, offering membership, journals (Journal of the OR Society), conferences, and accreditation. Comparable as a UK professional society with overlapping quantitative-methods membership and journal income model.
- Royal Economic Society: UK learned society for economists, publishing journals via OUP (The Economic Journal). Comparable as a UK Royal-chartered society with journal publishing through OUP, membership programs, and annual conference — overlapping with RSS's econometrics audience.
- BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT: UK chartered professional body for IT, also publishing journals via OUP and offering Chartered IT Professional status. Comparable as a UK chartered society with an OUP publishing partnership and overlapping data science professional community.
- Institute and Faculty of Actuaries: UK chartered professional body for actuaries with strong statistical foundations. Comparable as a UK Royal Charter body with membership, accreditation, examinations, journals, and policy influence spanning quantitative disciplines.
Regional players
- Statistical Society of Australia: Australian professional body for statisticians, offering membership, journals (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics), and conferences. Comparable as a peer professional society for statisticians, but focused on the Australia/New Zealand region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Royal Statistical Society social profiles
Digital presenceRoyal Statistical Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Royal Statistical Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Royal Statistical Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Royal Statistical Society M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Royal Statistical Society
What does Royal Statistical Society do?
The Royal Statistical Society is the UK's chartered professional body and learned society for statisticians and data scientists, founded in 1834. It sells professional memberships (Fellow, Professional, Corporate, e-Student), publishes peer-reviewed journals and magazines, runs training courses and conferences, awards chartered statistician (CStat) accreditation, and operates a careers/jobs board for the statistics profession.
Is Royal Statistical Society a public or private company?
Royal Statistical Society is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Royal Statistical Society founded?
Royal Statistical Society was founded in 1834. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Royal Statistical Society based?
Royal Statistical Society is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Royal Statistical Society make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Journal Publications are the primary driver. The others are membership Dues, training and Events and jobs Board.
Who are Royal Statistical Society's main competitors?
Alan Turing Institute is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, International Statistical Institute, International Biometric Society, Operational Research Society, Royal Economic Society, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Statistical Society of Australia is listed as a regional player.
Does Royal Statistical Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for Royal Statistical Society.
What industry is Royal Statistical Society in?
Royal Statistical Society's product category is Professional Statistical Society Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADACAF, Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies, with a secondary code of MPAJACAL, Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD). Its NAICS code is 813920 and its SIC code is 8600.