Which statistical measure is calculated based on the whole distribution?

The mean is the statistical measure that is calculated based on the whole distribution. The mean takes into account every value in the data set and provides the average, making it a comprehensive representation of the data. It is obtained by summing all the values and then dividing by the total number of values.

In contrast, the median represents the middle value in a sorted list of numbers and thus only considers the central position of the distribution rather than all values. The mode indicates the most frequently occurring value in the distribution and does not reflect the overall data set. Variance measures the spread of the data points around the mean and, while it provides insight into the distribution's variability, it is not itself a direct measure of the entire data set's values. Therefore, the mean is the measure that truly reflects the entire distribution of values.