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Statistics vocabulary · Estimation and Inference

Point estimate

Meaning in statistics, with examples

nounCommon term

In statistics, point estimate means: A single number calculated from sample data as the best guess of a population value, for example a sample mean of 4.7 used to estimate the true mean.

In Turkish: nokta tahmini, nokta kestirimi

How it is used

Usually reported together with an interval estimate, a confidence interval, because a single number hides the uncertainty. Typical phrases: 'the point estimate was …', 'point estimate and 95% CI'.

Example sentences

  1. The point estimate for the vaccination rate was 71%, with a 95% CI of 68% to 74%.

  2. Don't report the point estimate on its own; readers need to see the uncertainty.

Common collocations

  • point estimate and confidence interval
  • interval estimate
  • report the point estimate
  • best point estimate
  • estimateTo calculate an approximate value for an unknown population quantity, such as a mean, a proportion or a regression coefficient, from sample data.
  • confidence intervalA range of values, calculated from sample data, that is likely to contain the true population value; a 95% interval comes from a method that captures the true value in 95% of repeated samples.
  • margin of errorThe amount added to and subtracted from an estimate to form a confidence interval, showing how far the sample result may differ from the true population value.
  • standard errorThe standard deviation of an estimate, such as a sample mean, across repeated samples; it shows how precise the estimate is likely to be.

More terms: Estimation and Inference

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