Whether your career suddenly needs it, or you want to move into data analytics, I’ve got you the best statistics courses for beginners. Why me? Because I relate to feeling lost around data.
I didn’t study statistics till I joined Class Central, and it changed how I made sense of data. Numbers have all the answers, but you have to know which numbers to question.
I no longer stop my observation at “revenue’s decreasing.” I check for variance and deviance, and forecast numbers (with Claude’s helping hand). Statistics is leverage, but it’s overwhelming at first. If you think so too, this guide is for you.
Quick Overview of the Best Statistics Courses Online
- The Best Free Beginner Statistics Courses: Intro to Statistics (Udacity), Statistics Basics (YouTube)
- Best Paid Statistics Courses: Statistics Foundations (Coursera), Introduction to Statistics (DataCamp), Statistical Analysis and Research using Excel (Udemy)
- Best Statistics Course for Data Analytics: Data Analytics Foundations (Noble Desktop)
- Best Statistics Courses for Probability: Become a Probability & Statistics Master (Udemy), Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving, presented by JMP (Coursera), Statistics Foundations: Understanding Probability and Distributions (Pluralsight)
The Best Basic Statistics Courses
Why Do You Need Statistics?
Take a look at this table with an edtech platform’s revenue. What do you observe?
| Year | Revenue |
| 2018 | $10M |
| 2019 | $12M |
| 2020 | $18M |
| 2021 | $16M |
| 2022 | $13M |
| 2023 | $11M |
| 2024 | $9M |
When I started out as a journalist, my only observation was: the revenue is declining. Now that I know some statistical concepts, I see that 2020 was a COVID-driven spike, an outlier that inflates the mean to $12.7 million. If you strip it out, the average drops to $11.7M, which better reflects the steady decline.
Statistics involves recognizing patterns in data, visualizing it, understanding it, and then taking action.
Having a statistics base implies you have other skills too:
- Inferential skills
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Strategic thinking skills
- Analytical skills
Among these, critical thinking and problem-solving are crucial workplace skills that employers are looking for.
If you’d like to learn statistics and are looking for beginner courses, this list is a good place to start.
Why Trust Us and Why These Courses?
There are thousands of online courses out there. Choosing the best one sends you on an online quest to explore platforms and compare them. Even then, before selecting the course, you might think: what if there’s a new course or platform that I don’t know of?
Class Central is a course directory of 250,000 courses, so you find the best course for your needs and spend less time and patience searching for something better. From generative AI to virtual assistance, you’ll find courses that are designed to succeed in your career or even a hobby.
So, how did I choose these courses?
I’ve picked nine courses that cover the basics of statistics. I considered:
- Level of understanding: Since it has technical aspects, I’ve (mostly) chosen courses that are beginner-friendly
- Engaging learning experiences: Learning statistics can be difficult and boring. In this list, some courses teach with case studies and some with projects and quizzes
- Basic statistical concepts: I’ve picked courses that teach the fundamental concepts (and can be applied to different professions)
- Learner reviews: While I did learn concepts from different courses, I also checked reviews, and chose courses that most learners have found helpful and easy to grasp
Note: Many courses have the same syllabus or overlapping topics. Since statistics has numbers and formulae, and these courses are for professionals (or students) who don’t have knowledge about it, I’ve picked ones that have different learning patterns rather than the syllabus. The intent was to help you find a course that supports your learning style.
So here are the best courses on basic statistics.
Best Statistics Course for Probability (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating:4.8 (14.5K)
- Duration: 15 hours
- Cost: Paid
Become a Probability & Statistics Master has a lot of fans, and it lives up to the hype. It doesn’t just help you read pie charts and graphs (something we all might need brushing up on), but it also advances into topics like regression, which helps in making predictions, spotting relations between variables, and building strategies.
It aims to build strong statistical foundations with hypothesis testing, sampling, probability, and more. With 60+ practice questions and 140 resources, you’ll be able to rationalize charts, graphs and even test your ideas with experiments.
What sets it apart?
- It has 44 quizzes and eight workbooks to practice your skills
- The instructor is Krista King, who has 20 courses on Udemy, and who developed this course because like (almost) everyone, she found math difficult
- It is a comprehensive course which covers the essentials of statistics
- Learners appreciate the instructor’s way of delivery and the course structure
What you might not like
The course has the word “master” in it, the learners have said that it only helps with the basics of statistics.
Who is it for?
- Professionals who don’t have an analytics background but whose jobs involve working with data
- Marketers who want to make sense of data to customize their campaigns
- Professionals who want to revise statistical concepts and check their applications in their career
Best Introductory Statistics Course (DataCamp)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4.8 (7,766 reviews)
- Duration: 4 hours
- Cost: Paid (it’s $14/month, but I got a discount, so you might too!)
Introduction to Statistics is a blend of examples and theory. It’s meant to make you confident and comfortable with data, basically be friends with it.
While It tackles general statistical concepts such as probability, distribution, and correlation, the stand-out factor is that it’s application-oriented. It introduces you to real-world data (including crime, sales, and more) to understand how deductions can be made based on data.
You’ll also learn to predict outcomes, distribute data, and conduct experiments. This course is immersive, and if you’re looking for practice-based learning, go for this one.
What sets it apart?
- The use of real data to learn applications of statistical concepts
- It’s a concise course, so if you have limited time, it’s perfect
- It has regular quizzes and exercises to revise your lessons
- The instructor, George Boorman, is the Curriculum Manager at DataCamp, and an experienced project manager
What you might not like
The course just covers 4-5 fundamental statistical concepts, but important ones
Who is it for?
- Professionals who find it hard to learn statistics
- Anyone who wants to start learning statistics and understand its real-world applications
- Individuals who want a practice-based approach to learning statistics
Best Free Intro to Statistics Course (Udacity)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 8 weeks (self-paced)
- Rating: 4.5 (95)
- Cost: Free
Intro to Statistics is a super easy revision of statistics concepts. It’s taught by Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford professor who also built Google’s self-driving car. So yes, he might know a thing or two about data.
The course doesn’t just explain statistics, it makes you work through it. You’ll look at real examples: a stock market flash crash, the Challenger disaster, and figure out what the data is actually saying.
It covers charts, probability, hypothesis testing, and regression, and if you’re comfortable with coding, there are optional programming exercises too.
Oh also, it’s completely free!
What sets it apart?
- Sebastian Thrun is one of the most credentialed instructors you’ll find on a free course
- I flew through the lessons, so you can complete it well before two months
- It has real case studies that show statistics in action, rather than in theory
- You get optional coding exercises if you want to go beyond the concepts
Who is it for?
- Anyone who wants a serious introduction to statistics without paying for it
- People who learn better through examples than through definitions
- Those who want to eventually combine statistics with coding
Also Great Free Playlist (YouTube)
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Cost: Free
Statistics Basics is one of the most visually appealing beginner’s playlist on statistics.
It’s filled with real-world examples that makes it engaging throughout. And you get multiple examples for some concepts so you get your foundations right.
You’ll learn descriptive (describing datasets) and inferential statistics (making predictions). I’d recommend it if you want to learn the absolute basics of statistics for research purposes, especially. You’ll learn what mean, more, median is, and you’ll get into frequency distribution, probability, and more.
The playlist is also well-structured and well-duration-ed. Some videos are comprehensive, whereas others are short and concise, keeping it interesting.
What sets it apart?
- It’s free, quick, and sticks to the core basics without complicating concepts
- You learn both, data interpretation and basic forecasting
- The structure is clean and the concept explanations are clear and easy to understand
Who is it for?
- Complete beginners (if you know math, it could be slow for you)
- Anyone wanting a statistics revision
- Anyone interested in research and data analysis
Most Comprehensive Introduction to Statistics (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 21 hours
- Rating: 4.8 (395)
- Cost: Paid
Another beginner’s course, except Statistics Foundations from Meta is specifically designed for marketers. Most of the topics are similar to other courses, but its comprehensive focus on every concept, made me pick this one.
It has sections on marketing analytics, time series, AB testing, and more. By the end of the course, you will know market segmentation, designing marketing experiments, and analyzing its results.
This course will simplify complex topics as it has sections on micro factors like variables, sample sizes, and more.
What sets it apart?
- It’s by Meta, and it’s robust and detail-oriented
- It will help in applying solutions to marketing problems
- Every module has assignments, quizzes, and review sections
- The instructor, Brandi Robinson, is a Learning and Development expert at Aptly and has 19 years of experience in it
What you might not like
Since there are sections on marketing analytics, it’s more suitable for (aspiring) marketers.
Who is it for?
- Marketing professionals or aspiring managers
- Data analysts and researchers
- Small business owners or e-commerce sellers who want to use Meta for advertising
Best Statistics Course for Data Analytics Preparation (Noble Desktop)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 12 hours
- Rating: 4.7 (98 reviews)
- Cost: Paid
The point of statistics is to analyze data and make relevant decisions. While this is a data analytics course, it teaches you statistical concepts like data visualization and probability.
This course will help you understand how statistical theorems, models, and techniques are used in the real world. Along with theoretical explanations, it also offers you reference materials and activities to learn better.
The best part is you can choose to attend the course in person or take it online. Either way, it guarantees a holistic experience, as one of the learners said, “The course was great, with lots of hands-on activity and useful content..”
What sets it apart?
- The curriculum has been refined over several batches and trainings to offer you comprehensive content
- You can also retake the course for free throughout the year
- The instructor, Mike, is an expert in data analytics and according to learners, he is attentive and patient
- You can choose between in-person (New York) and live online classes
- It teaches in small groups for maximum attention
What you may not like:
The course has a steep fee ($595), but it ensures a comprehensive learning experience with expert instructors
Who is it for?
- Professionals who want to build solid foundations of statistics
- Marketers, researchers, or other professionals who work with lots of data
- Aspiring data analysts who want to learn real-world statistical applications
Best Statistics Course for Analysis and Research on Excel (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 12 hours 31 minutes
- Rating: 4.3 (231)
- Cost: Paid
I always wondered why knowing Excel was a flex. Now, I get it. It makes statistics and visualization a breeze! This course teaches you Excel commands to run statistical formulae. While it doesn’t explain every statistical concept, it does help you run calculations.
This course is suited for professionals who conduct research as it covers topics such as ANOVA, T-test, and correlation, among others. If you’re constantly testing products, campaigns, etc, this course will teach you the basics of Excel for seamless and accurate calculations.
With assignments and quizzes, the course also helps you grasp concepts and apply them.
What sets it apart?
- It focuses on Excel to simplify statistical calculations
- The assignments aim to strengthen your hand at Excel
- It will help in research projects that require quick analyses
- It also covers concepts crucial to research —Chi-square analysis, sampling, etc
- The course is by EdSolver Learning, a platform that has taught around 18,000 students courses on data analytics, marketing, management, and more
What you might not like:
It doesn’t teach concepts in detail, it only focuses on Excel applications
Who is it for?
- Marketing professionals who run campaigns
- Researchers and data analysts
- Business owners who want to test their products in the market and have a large sample size
Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving, presented by JMP (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 44 hours
- Rating: 4.8 (100)
- Cost: Paid
Statistics involves data interpretation, understanding cause and effect, and predicting, creating, or avoiding outcomes.
Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving by JMP, a seven-module course, helps you visualize and make sense of data with statistical techniques. It explains different diagrams, visualization techniques, models for problem-solving, etc.
This course is for decision-makers, especially those who want to make more informed decisions. With modules on data analysis, experimentation designs, and regression models, this course is an in-depth study of statistics and its role in strategy.
What sets it apart?
- It covers the essentials of statistics along with data analysis
- It’s designed to help you solve problems and make calculated decisions
- It’s filled with case studies, quizzes, and practice sections!
- This course is offered by JMP, which has created the JM software for data analysis and statistical discovery
What you may not like
The course is for beginners, but the learning experience will be smoother if you have basic statistics knowledge.
Who is it for?
- Engineers, researchers, doctors, and any professional who has to study large amounts of data
- Aspiring data analysts
- Business owners or entrepreneurs who want to test their products
Best Statistics Course for Probability and Distributions Foundations (Pluralsight)
- Level: Beginner
- Rating: 4 (90)
- Duration: 4 hours 25 minutes
- Cost: Paid membership (with a 10-day free trial)
If you’re in the finance, AI, or research field, you’d “probably” have to predict outcomes, control them, and analyze them. Statistics Foundations: Understanding Probability and Distributions starts by defining probability and its formulae in detail. It also covers distribution and its components to understand data and make inferences.
This one is perfect for those who know R (a programming language for statistical computing). Along with the basics such as permutations and mean, it explains correlation and covariance too.
Overall, this course focuses on predicting outcomes and analyzing distributions.
What sets it apart?
- It’s a niche course that teaches expectation and analysis
- It teaches statistical analysis through R
- It also explains concepts through demos
- The instructor, Dmitri Nesteruk, is a quantitative analyst with a decade of experience
What you might not like:
- It’s for those who know R software
- It’s more theory-based rather than application-based
Who is it for?
- Professionals who have to predict or control outcomes as a part of their jobs
- Individuals who have a background in statistics and want to improve their R skills
Bonus Resources
This decision-driven analytics course will teach you how to boost sales and marketing with statistics, using Python.
This channel is a gem for those who want to learn statistics concepts quickly. Apart from statistics, it also has videos on data science and AI.
Brandon has a series of TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) concept videos that offer bite-sized learning. Along with statistics, he also covers math concepts.
Learn with free, downloadable eBooks filled with illustrations, examples, practice exercises, and problems.
The episodes are recorded classes of Brad Fulton, a social scientist who measures the impact of community-based organizations. If you want to be an informed and expert data reader, click that ‘Follow’ icon.
Understanding data is a superpower and it can change your career and life, so give these courses (and numbers) a chance!
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