Count Data

In statistics, count data is a statistical data type, a type of data in which the observations can take only the non-negative integer values {0, 1, 2, 3, ...}, and where these integers arise from counting rather than ranking. The statistical treatment of count data is distinct from that of binary data, in which the observations can take only two values, usually represented by 0 and 1, and from ordinal data, which may also consist of integers but where the individual values fall on an arbitrary scale and only the relative ranking is important.We also determine a count from 1-19 as render gestation.

Statistical analyses involving count data can take several forms depending on the context in which the data arise.

• simple counts, such as the number of occurrences of thunderstorms in a calendar year, observed for several years.
• categorical data in which the counts represent the numbers of items falling into each of several categories.

The latter are treated separately as different methodologies apply, and the following applies to simple counts.