Difference Between Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (With Table)

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Parameter of Comparison	Descriptive	Inferential
Meaning/Definition	Descriptive Statistics is the branch of statistics that describes the population.	Inferential Statistics is the branch of statistics that concludes the entire population by studying a sample percentage of people in the population.
Nature of Work	Descriptive statistics organizes, analyses, and presents data in a perfectly meaningful way for more investigation.	Inferential statistics is all about comparison of data and prediction from the analyzed data to conclude.
Final Result	Descriptive statistics offers graphs, Charts, and also tables.	Inferential Statistics gives the probability of a particular occurrence inferred from the data.
Main Usage	Descriptive statistics describe the situation understudy	Inferential statistics clearly explains the future occurrence of an event by chances.
Main Functionality	Descriptive statistics normally gives data which everyone knows. It just summarizes it.	Inferential statistics reaches beyond the data. It gives conclusions about the population under study and it helps in learning the population behavior percentage-wise.

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Descriptive statistics is the branch of statistics that helps describe the population under study. The important characteristics of the dataset are quantitatively described by descriptive statistics.

The description happens through certain properties like mean, median, mode, and also measures of dispersion. The descriptive statistics provide the information in a meaningful way utilizing graphs, charts, and tables.

The data is mentioned accurately too. The information may also contain a few diagrams which will be explained in the same context.

Descriptive statistics offer simple information about the sample in the study. This forms the first phase of data analysis for a huge statistical analysis.

Descriptive statistics are extensively used in the business world to procure some useful data. The dataset from which the statistical analysis is carried out fetches a lot of information that is already known to everyone, but it is presented in a meaningful impact it created to a certain situation.

At times, the sample dataset may have two to three variables. In that case, descriptive statistics are bound to give the relationship among all the three variables. There are indeed three types of analysis; univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis.

The dataset f it has one variable then the analysis is called univariate, if it has two or more then it will be bivariate or multivariate analysis.

Inferential statistics is the branch of statistics that concludes by analyzing a sample from a whole lot of a particular pattern. Inferential statistics is generalizing a particular fact to the whole lot by examining a sample of it.

The deduction of the result from the sample is judged the same for the whole group. It is indeed a very convenient way when a large number of numbers or population cannot be examined for a particular cause.

The sample chosen must be exactly from the whole lot and the result of the sample will directly apply to the whole lot. Mostly, inferential statistics work with probability theory.

The methods used in inferential statistics is the estimation of parameters and testing of hypothesis. The propositions made out of the sample become models and the same model is subjected to the entire community.

Descriptive statistics is brilliant in providing the data in a meaningful way through graphical representations, charts, and tables while inferential statistics help in comparing and predicting from the data.

The final result of descriptive statistics can be a diagram or a graphical representation but inferential statistics offer the probability of a particular occurrence.

Descriptive statistics help in describing a situation while inferential statistics explain the chance of a future event occurrence.

Descriptive statistics give the data which is already known, but inferential statistics conclude learning about the population. This is sometimes beyond the numbers projected.