A wealth of International statistical information is available on several topics. While much of the material is freely available on the internet, several library databases are also important data sources. The following categories will lead you to the most important general and specific sources for international statistics.
General Sources
- UN Data: A World of Information - Do a combined search of 25+ international statistical databases, or search specific databases individually. Also includes convenient links to the official statistical data services of specific countries. Includes data from major United Nations divisions as well as the International Labour Office. Sponsored by the United Nations Statistics Division.
- UN Statistical Yearbook - The authoritative annual summary of international statistics, produced by the UN Statistics Division. Coverage includes the following topics: agriculture, balance of payments, communication, development assistance, education, energy, environment, finance, gender, industrial production, trade, tourism, labor, manufacturing, national accounts, nutrition, population, prices, research and development, and wages.
- World Bank: Data - This site from the World Bank provides access to a broad range of social and development indicators for the countries of the world. Especially useful are the "Country Profiles" and "By Topic" search features. It includes data on population, health, education, poverty, environment, economics, technology, trade, and foreign investment. Data can be displayed or downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet.
- Google Public Data Explorer - This service from Google Labs (still being developed) provides powerful ways to visualize statistical data. It includes a large subset of the World Development Indicators (World Bank) and the OECD Factbook, as well as other international statistics.
- International Statistical Agencies (U.S. Census Bureau) - Provides handy links to the central statistical agencies of countries worldwide.
Population and Human Development
- UN Demographic Yearbook- This annual statistical yearbook provides worldwide population data from the 1930s to the present. Includes data on population, births, deaths, abortions, infant and maternal deaths, marriages and divorces.
- Statistics of the Human Development Report (UNDP) - The Human Development Report of this United Nations agency provides comprehensive data on a wide range of data on human social well being and development, including such at topics as migration, human rights, literacy, life expectancy, poverty, gender issues, health trends, income disparity, and government expenditures on health and education.
Health
- Global Health Observatory (WHO) - This site includes comprehensive health data compiled by the World Health Organization. Create custom tables for specific countries and regions for a vast array of health indicators.
- HNPStats (World Bank) - Find data on Health, Nutrition, and Population worldwide, based on the compilations and statistical databases of the World Bank.
Education
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre - Provides extensive data on education worldwide, including primary, secondary and higher education. Also includes sections on science and technology research and culture and communications data.
- EdStats Database (World Bank) - View snapshot tables of important educational indicators by country, or create custom tables from extremely detailed database of worldwide education statistics.
Labor
- ILO - Search for international labor-related statistics, produced by the International Labour Office (ILO). Includes data on employment, unemployment, hours, wages, labor cost, consumer price indices, occupational injuries, strikes, household income/expenditures, migration.
- International Labor Comparisons - This site produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides extensive comparative labor data for the U.S. and nine other major industrialized countries from North America, Europe, and Asia.
Industry and Trade
