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Today I have been asked question the difference between parametric data and non-parametric data. I know about parametric and non-parametric statistics, parametric and non-parametric test, but I have never heard about parametric data. I have also not studied this term in any statistics book.

On internet, I just managed to find one blog that mentioned parametric and non-parametric data. Checked link: https://machinelearningmastery.com/a-gentle-introduction-to-nonparametric-statistics/

I just wanted to know, are these legal words in statistics or just coined by the author to explain parametric and non-parametric test?

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    $\begingroup$ People use that term to refer to non-normal data for which nonparametric tests may be more suitable, but it’s a bit of a silly term. $\endgroup$
    – Dave
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 18:54
  • $\begingroup$ @Dave Is this a formal word? Any reference of text book? $\endgroup$
    – Neeraj
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 18:56
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    $\begingroup$ Absence here is more evocative than presence. If you find a textbook that talks about non-parametric data, it's either a typo or a sign of incompetence. As non-parametric methods can be applied to any kind of data, those non-parametric methods, which predominantly means non-parametric significance tests, do not even define the data they are applied to. $\endgroup$
    – Nick Cox
    Commented Jan 21, 2021 at 19:18

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There is no such thing as parametric data or non-parametric data. (As already mentioned in comments.) The terms parametric and non-parametric describes methods or models, not data. See some earlier questions about that:

(and others you find by searching this site.)

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