Research Guides: Latin American Development: Data / Statistics

International Data (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.*
LANIC: Latin American Network Information Network | Univ. of Texas at Austin.
Online data statistical offices & national banks in Latin America. *Click Economy link, then Statistics link.
EIU CountryData.
Annual, quarterly, and/or monthly economic indicators back to 1980 and forecasts on 181 countries.

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.
Sage Data This link opens in a new window
U.S. and international datasets from governmental, commercial, and private organizations.
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.
Statistical Abstract of the United States (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the U.S. including statistics on all levels of education, educational attainment, health and nutrition, income, poverty, wealth, labor, employment, earnings, population, and more. Includes international statistics and Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. *This database covers mostly 1970 to present and supersedes the U.S. government version, issued annually from 1878 to 2012 and available at:http://www.census.gov/library/publications/time-series/statistical_abstracts.html*
Access Note: If prompted to select an account, select Vanderbilt University.

Statistical Insight (ProQuest).
• US Federal statistical publications (also known as American Statistics Index or ASI) - coverage from 1973; full text from 2004.
• State government and business statistical reports (also known as Statistical Reference Index or SRI) - coverage from 1980, full-text from 2007.
• International statistical publications (also known as Index to International Statistics or IIS) - includes UN, OECD, and EU; coverage from 1980; full text from 2007.
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.*

United States

Explore Census Data | U.S. Census Bureau.
•The Decennial Census - a survey of population and housing
•The Economic Census - a survey of almost all business activity in industries and communities at the national, state, county, and metropolitan levels conducted every 5 years ending in 2 and 7
•The American Community Survey - an annual survey of three million households
Digest of Education Statistics | National Center for Education Statistics.
Statistics from 1995 to present covering American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. Includes teacher-pupil ratio, teacher salaries, computers & technology, outcomes of education (occupation, earnings, etc.), education characteristics of the labor force, international comparisons, and federal programs for education.

Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition (HSUS) This link opens in a new window
Historical statistics on the social, political, and economic aspects of the United States, including population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, and governance and international relations. Includes census data. Users can create custom tables and merge columns from multiple tables to create custom tables, which can also be downloaded, printed, or graphed.
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Statistical Abstract of the United States (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the U.S. including statistics on all levels of education, educational attainment, health and nutrition, income, poverty, wealth, labor, employment, earnings, population, and more. *This database covers mostly 1970 to present and supersedes the U.S. government version, issued annually from 1878 to 2012 and available at:http://www.census.gov/library/publications/time-series/statistical_abstracts.html*
Access Note: If prompted to select an account, select Vanderbilt University.

Statistical Insight (ProQuest).
• US Federal statistical publications (also known as American Statistics Index or ASI) - coverage from 1973; full text from 2004.
• State government and business statistical reports (also known as Statistical Reference Index or SRI) - coverage from 1980, full-text from 2007.
• International statistical publications (also known as Index to International Statistics or IIS) - includes UN, OECD, and EU; coverage from 1980; full text from 2007.

Education / Labor

World Development Indicators | World Bank.
The primary collection of economic & social development indicators by the World Bank. Provides data on school enrollment, education expenditure, pupil - teacher ratio, education level of labor force, number of teachers, education level of unemployed persons, and more. Updated quarterly.
Education Statistics | World Bank.
Data on enrollment rates, expenditures, literacy, repetition, completion rates, teachers, and more. Also includes learning outcome data from PISA and other international and regional learning assessments.
Millennium Development Goals Indicators | United Nations.
Data on primary education and literacy rates.
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.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean | UN ECLAC.
Social statistics on population, labor, education, health, housing and basic services, poverty and income distribution, and gender and economic statistics on economic growth, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, and other subjects.
*Online access: 1973 - present; Older statistics available in print from v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks, HA755 .A68*
Statistics and Indicators | UN ECLAC.
Demographic, social & economic, gender, youth, and agricultural data, and more.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics data centre | United Nations.
Data on education and literacy.

Debt / GDP / GNI / Trade

World Development Indicators | World Bank.
Data on GDP, GNI, trade, external debt, financial flows, and balance of payments.

IMF eLibrary - Data This link opens in a new window
Access to: 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.

International Debt Statistics | World Bank.
[formerly: Global Development Finance]
"Focuses on financial flows, trends in external debt, and other major financial indicators for developing and advanced economies." Includes forecasts.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean | UN ECLAC.
Social statistics on population, labor, education, health, housing and basic services, poverty and income distribution, and gender and economic statistics on economic growth, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, and other subjects.
*Online access: 1973 - present; Older statistics available in print from v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks, HA755 .A68*
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."

Geography / Population / Health

World Development Indictors | World Bank.
Data on urban and rural population, fertility, undernourishment, nutrition, mortality, arable land, and more.
Global Health Observatory Data | World Health Organization.
Health-related statistics for WHO's 194 member states.
Millennium Development Goals Indicators | United Nations.
Data on diseases, maternal health and mortality, and child mortality.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean | UN ECLAC.
Social statistics on population, labor, education, health, housing and basic services, poverty and income distribution, and gender and economic statistics on economic growth, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, and other subjects.
*Online access: 1973 - present; Older statistics available in print from v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks, HA755 .A68*

Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century This link opens in a new window
Primary source documents about Latin America and the Caribbean. Covers business & economics (foreign debt, foreign investment, railroads, iron & steel industry, petroleum industry, trade, and more), politics, religion, culture, international affairs, the environment, science & technology. Useful visual downloadable tables on comparative country data including agriculture and livestock, commodities and production, demography, education, and infrastructure.

Macroeconomic Stability / Infrastructure

World Development Indicators | World Bank.
Data on inflation, unemployment, roads, schools, vehicles, telephone lines, internet users, sanitation, and more.
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.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean | UN ECLAC.
Social statistics on population, labor, education, health, housing and basic services, poverty and income distribution, and gender and economic statistics on economic growth, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, and other subjects.
*Online access: 1973 - present; Older statistics available in print from v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks, HA755 .A68*

Poverty / Inequality

World Development Indictors | World Bank.
Data on poverty, GINI index, and in/equality.
Gender Statistics | World Bank.
Indicators on key gender topics including demographics, education, health, labor force, political participation, and proportion of women subjected to physical or sexual violence by intimate or non-intimate partner.
Millennium Development Goals Indicators | United Nations.
Data on poverty, hunger, and gender in/equality.
Poverty and Equity Database | World Bank.
"Poverty indicators include the poverty headcount ratio, poverty gap, and number of poor at international & national poverty lines. Inequality indicators include the Gini index and income or consumption distributions. Includes national, regional and global estimates.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean | UN ECLAC.
Social statistics on population, labor, education, health, housing and basic services, poverty and income distribution, and gender and economic statistics on economic growth, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, and other subjects.
*Online access: 1973 - present; Older statistics available in print from v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks, HA755 .A68*
Statistics and Indicators | UN ECLAC.
Demographic, social & economic, gender, youth, and agricultural data, and more.