INSEE

The Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies) is a general directorate of France's Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industry. INSEE carries out several sample surveys in the socio-economic field (households, companies), in addition to its responsibilities for the national accounts and taking the census (last completed in March 1999). This government agency is responsible for coordinating official statistics, reference data produced by the entire public statistics system.