LEGO guides and data studies

Answers to the questions collectors ask most, written from the catalog. Every figure on these pages is computed from the data when the page is served, so the numbers stay current and never say more than the data does.

Guides

How set numbers, themes, minifigures and retirement work, and how to catalogue what you own.

• How LEGO set numbers work

  Where to find a LEGO set number, what the digits do and do not mean, why the catalog writes 75192-1, and which number ranges belong to which themes.

• How many LEGO sets are there?

  A counted answer from the catalog: how many LEGO sets exist, how the count depends on what you include, and how the number has grown by decade and by year.

• When do LEGO sets retire?

  How LEGO retirement works, what can and cannot be known in advance, how to read a set's release year, and which sets are in the usual two-to-three-year window right now.

• How many LEGO minifigures are there?

  The count of distinct LEGO minifigures in the catalog, which themes have the most, which figures appear in the most sets, and how many exist in only one set.

• How to catalogue a LEGO collection

  A practical method for recording what LEGO sets you own: finding set numbers, dealing with unbuilt and partial sets, and keeping the list current without spreadsheets.

• LEGO themes explained

  How LEGO organises sets into themes, which themes are the largest and longest-running, how licensed themes compare with LEGO's own, and where to find every set in each.

Data studies

Tables computed from the whole catalog, free to reuse with a link.

• LEGO sets by year, in numbers

  Every year of LEGO sets in one table: how many sets were released, the average and median piece count, and the biggest set, computed from the catalog and refreshed daily.

• Which LEGO themes come with the most minifigures?

  Minifigures per set for every LEGO theme with at least 30 sets: how many sets include a figure, the average per set, and the set with the most, computed from the catalog.