Data is the raw information from which statistics are created. It is usually gathered through studies or surveys. If you are interested in a phenomenon, or want to answer a "why" or "how" question, you may want to use raw data, which is in the form of machine-readable data files or datasets.
Statistics provide an interpretation and summary of data. If you want to know "how much," you probably want statistical data which usually is displayed in tables or charts and can be numbers or percentages.
Sources
Who else might be interested in this type of information? Data collectors might be:
Time Period
Are you looking for the current year? A range of years? Remember that it takes some time to compile data. Do you need historical data?
Geography
What country, state, county, etc., might compile the data you want?
Availability
What data is likely to be available?
Location
Is the data stored in a place that you can access?
Statistics are your place for quick numbers. They might answer the questions "how much" or "how many." Statistics result from data that have been interpreted then synthesized into a usable form.
Statistics can be in the form of numbers or percentages and they are frequently presented in a table or graph.
A statistical table might look like this one from the Statistical Abstract of the United States:
Or a table from Statista:
What are data?
Data are plain facts, usually raw numbers. Think of a spreadsheet full of numbers with no meaningful description. In order for these numbers to become information, they must be interpreted to have meaning.
Data can be anything - numbers, spreadsheets, audio files, maps, etc.
Who creates data?
Data can come from a government census or organization surveys or research studies.
Data - singular or plural?