The body is now ranked among the best in the world, according to an Economist survey. However, accurate figures by themselves are not enough. Our desire to compare and contrast sets of statistics can often lead us onto dangerous ground. School and hospital league tables have been criticised for not offering a true picture of the state of our education and health system. It's well known that making international comparisons is difficult.
People die, that's definite.
Mr Murray says politicians seek out stark statistics to endorse their opinions, draw a line under an issue or embarrass an opponent. Journalists are equally eager to concentrate on eye-popping figures, knowing they make the most striking stories. They want numbers which are definite, clear and certain and which suggest danger - that's what sells papers.