Research Guides: Latin American Studies Resources: Data / Statistics

Geography / Population / Health

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
Covers urban and rural population, fertility, undernourishment, nutrition, mortality, arable land, and more.
Coverage: 1960 to present.

UN CEPALSTAT
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Statistical indicators of social development and welfare, population, and health including public expenditure on health and infant & maternal mortality rates.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.
Global Health Observatory (GHO) data
Maintained by the World Health Organization.
World Scholar: Latin America & the Caribbean
Useful visual downloadable tables on comparative country data including land, demography, education, infrastructure, etc.

GDP / GNI / Trade / Debt

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
Collection of time-series data, and global development indicators. Cross-country comparable statistics about development and people’s lives around the globe and includes national, regional and global estimates.
Coverage: 1960 to present.

IDS: International Debt Statistics, 1970-
World Bank.
Covers financial flows and trends in external debt.
IMF eLibrary - Data
International Monetary Fund.
Access to four IMF statistical databases: Balance of Payments Statistics (BOP), Direction of Trade Statistics (DOT), Government Finance Statistics (GFS), and International Financial Statistics (IFS).
Historical data for DOT covering 1948 -1980 and GFS covering 1972 -1989 are available on CD-ROM in Government Information Services.)
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.

Macroeconomic Stability / Infrastructure

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
World Bank.
Covers inflation, unemployment, roads, schools, vehicles, telephone lines, internet users, sanitation, and more.
Coverage: 1960 to present.

ILOSTAT
International Labour Organization (ILO).
Covers 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
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Covers statistical information on housing and basic services and infrastructure including transport, land use, energy (production & consumption), etc.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.

Poverty / Inequality / Violence

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
Collection of time-series data, and global development indicators. Cross-country comparable statistics about development and people’s lives around the globe and includes national, regional and global estimates.
Coverage: 1960 to present.

Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Covers data on gender including gender wage ratio (by years of education completed), share of women in age employment in the non-agricultural sector, femininity rate of indigence & poverty (by geographical area) and poverty & income distribution.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.

Key Resources for International Data

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
Collection of time-series data, and global development indicators. Cross-country comparable statistics about development and people’s lives around the globe and includes national, regional and global estimates.
Coverage: 1960 to present.
EIU: Economist Intelligence Unit Country Reports Archive
Covering almost 200 countries, each report presents detailed statistics alongside expert commentary and forecasting from the EIU’s analysts. This database presents the historical reports up to 1995, with all data from the statistical tables fully captured and downloadable in spreadsheet form. It is a unique archive of analysis and explanation of political, economic and commercial developments, together with historical statistical data.

Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean.
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Statistical indicators of social development and welfare, economic growth, capital formation and financing, national accounts, prices, balance of payments, external financing and debt, external trade, production of goods, employment, and other subjects.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.
Montevideo-Oxford Economic History Database
MOxLAD contains statistical series for a wide range of economic and social indicators covering twenty countries in the region for the period 1900-2000.
(CIA) The World Factbook.
Basic information on a country, including geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
Global and LAC Datahub
This resource is designed to ease and research and simplify access to up to date information with key datasets and in-depth insights into Latin America's economic and political landscape within the broader global context.

The Global & LAC Datahub aggregates and updates daily, critical data from leading global institutions, such as the World Bank, IMF, UNCTAD, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, offering a comprehensive view of Latin America's role in the global economy. Within the data hub, you can access cutting-edge visualizations, on a wide range of topics, including: geopolitics, trade and production, public finance, monetary and financial policy, among other topics.

More International Data / Statistics

ProQuest Statistical Insight
Federal, state, and international statistical, economic, demographic, and geographic information. National income and production statistics, retail and wholesale trade data, interest rates, economic indicators, and social and demographic statistics, plus data on energy, environmental protection, agriculture, fisheries, crime, etc.
Coverage: From the U.S. government, 1973 to present; from international intergovernmental, 1983 to present.

U.S. Data / Statistics

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1878-2012
U.S. Census Bureau.
Provides statistics on all levels of education, educational attainment, health and nutrition, income, poverty, wealth, labor, employment, earnings, population, and more.

Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition (HSUS)
Historical statistics on social, political, and economic aspects of the United States. Census and other statistical data. Create custom tables and merge columns from multiple tables to create custom tables, which can also be downloaded, printed, or graphed. Essays by experts place topics such as migration, slavery, health, crime, Native Americans, and the Confederate States of America in historical context.
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Labor / Education

Education Statistics
World Bank.
Provides data on enrollment rates, expenditures, literacy, repetition, completion rates, and more.

World DataBank: World Development Indicators
Collection of time-series data, and global development indicators. Cross-country comparable statistics about development and people’s lives around the globe and includes national, regional and global estimates.
Coverage: 1960 to present.

Global Education Digest
UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Compares education statistics across the world.
ILOSTAT
International Labour Organization (ILO).
Covers 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.
Millennium Development Goals Indicators (MDG)
U.N. Statistics Division.
Provides data on primary education and literacy rates.
Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Covers statistical indicators of social development and welfare, labor, and education including literacy, net enrollment rates, school attendance, public expenditure on education, number of teachers, and more.
Available online from 1973 to present.
Older data available in print from 1999 to 2011 in Government Information Services, and v.1 (1964) to 1998 in Central Stacks (with gaps), HA755 .A68.
Statistics and Indicators
U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribean (ECLAC).
UNESCO Institute for Statistics - data centre.
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Includes data on education and literacy.