Data - International - Economics Resources - Research Guides at Vanderbilt University

Key Databases

World Development Indicators | World Bank.
The primary collection of economic & social development indicators for over 200 countries from 1960 to present; Updated quarterly. Includes national, regional and global estimates. *Good resource for social data.*
EIU CountryData.
Annual, quarterly, and/or monthly economic indicators back to 1980 and forecasts on 181 countries.
OECD.Stat.
Cross-searchable portal of statistical databases and includes data on development, education, energy, health, historical population and projections, labor, social & welfare, and more, for OECD countries and selected non-member economies. Data from 1950.

IMF eLibrary - Data This link opens in a new window
International Financial Statistics (IFS), Balance of Payments Statistics (BOP), Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS), and Government Finance Statistics (GFS). *Historical data for IFS, BOP, and DOTS are available from 1948 [monthly and quarterly for DOTS from 1960], and for GFS from 1972.
Coverage: Historical data for BOP, DOT, and IFS are available from 1948, and for GFS from 1972.

UNdata.
This portal combines 34 databases and covers agriculture, employment, education, energy, environment, health, human development, industry, population, refugees, trade, tourism, and more. *Includes access to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Database.*

ICPSR: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research This link opens in a new window
Data archive of research in the social science with sixteen specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields."
Access Note: For off-campus access to the ICPSR archives, please login: http://proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/login?url=http://www.icpsr.umich.edu. Vendor Tutorials: Videos on finding and using data from ICPSR are available at https://www.youtube.com/@icpsr.
International Historical Statistics This link opens in a new window
Global statistical data on business, economics, environmental studies, geography, history, politics, sociology, and statistical studies.
Coverage: 1750-2010.

PWT: Penn World Table.
Information on relative levels of income, output, input and productivity, covering 183 countries between 1950 and 2019.

Sage Data This link opens in a new window
U.S. and international datasets from governmental, commercial, and private organizations. (Powered by Data Planet)
Statista This link opens in a new window
Portal to global statistical data on consumer goods, industry, retail & trade, sports & recreation, technology, travel & tourism, and more. Includes reports, market insights, forecasts & surveys, and company insights.

World Bank Open Data.
Portal to free and open access to the World Bank's global development data. Covers agriculture & rural development, aid effectiveness, climate change, economy & growth, education, energy & mining, environment, external debt, financial sector, gender, health, infrastructure, poverty, private sector, public sector, science & technology, social development, social protection & labor, and trade.

More Resources

Better Life Index | OECD.
Users can compare well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life.
Global Consumption Database | World Bank.
Statistics and information about household consumption patterns of low-income people in 92 developing countries. Users can select data from 12 sectors including clothing, education, energy, financial services, food, health, housing, and transport.
Global Food Security Index | EIU.
"The Global Food Security Index considers the core issues of affordability, availability, and quality across a set of 113 countries."
Global Health Observatory Data | World Health Organization.
Health-related statistics for WHO's 194 member states.
Global Poverty Mapping Project.
Global distribution of poverty and the geographic and biophysical conditions of where the poor live.
Happy Planet Index | New Economics Foundation.
Innovative measure of the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world." Provides data for 143 countries, some back to 1961.
ILOSTAT | International Labor Organization.
Data on economically active population since 1945, and data on un/employment, hours of work, wages, labor cost, consumer prices, occupational injuries occupational accidents, and strikes & lockouts since 1969.
Social Progress Indexes | Social Progress Imperative.
Measurement of social progress directly, independent of economic development.
Trade and Tariff Data | World Trade Organization.
"The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations."
UN Comtrade Database.
"Free access to detailed global trade data. UN Comtrade is a repository of official international trade statistics and relevant analytical tables. All data is accessible through API."
UNCTADstat | UN Conference on Trade and Development.
More than 150 indicators and statistical time series covering international trade, economic trends, foreign direct investment, external financial resources, population and labor force, commodities, information economy, and maritime transport.
WITS: World Integrated Trade Solutions.
Trade, tariff and non-tariff data.

Statistical Offices

National Statistical Offices | UN Statistics Division.
Links to national statistical offices around the world.

Economics Resources: Data - International

Key Databases

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Statistical Offices