International Statistics - Start here
World Development Indicators (WDI)
World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates.World Health Organization - Country Profiles
Includes basic vital and health statistics, health expenditures, provision/coverage, health system organization and regulation, summary measures, country-specific conditions, and human resources.
Online Sources
CIA: The World FactbookAvailable online (free).
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Our Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map.
Global market database
- PassportA global market research database providing statistics, analysis, reports, surveys, and breaking news on industries, countries, and consumers worldwide. Access to this this resource requires you to login with your KU online ID and password and to then click Agree to the terms of use presented by Euromonitor.
Country Profiles
Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. They also include audio and video clips from the BBC archives.
Country Studies/Area Handbook Series
The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. At present, 101 countries and regions are covered, published between 1988 and 1998. Check CLIO under "[country name] a country study" for location of print versions.
"The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant." Eldis Country Profiles Links to hundreds of authoritative sites for developing countries, in the areas of: agriculture, environment, poverty, education, gender, health & population, governance, trade, economics, aid, microcredit, and security.
The Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations and its 183 members highlight information as one of the priority areas in fighting hunger and achieving food security. The FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information System is a pioneering information retrieval tool which groups the organization's vast archive of information on its global activities in agriculture and development in a single area and catalogues it exclusively by country.
Very detailed links for every country.
The profiles compiled by the International Planned Parenthood Federation include brief background information, sections on sexual & reproductive health and family planning services in the country, and statistics on population, fertility and contraception, mortality, health, and education & employment.
International Monetary Fund Country Information
IMF operations — which involve surveillance, financial assistance, and technical assistance — have developed to meet the changing needs of its 184 member countries in an evolving world economy.
Links only to documents with an individual country focus. Includes both member and non-member economies, but with more information for member countries, especially a statistical profile with over 100 indicators. For links to OECD publications which cover all countries, see OECD iLibrary below.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics Country Profiles
Country profiles feature key statistics and indicators on education, science and technology, and culture and communication on a country-by-country or regional basis.
United Nations
- UNdata This link opens in a new windowA portal that retrieves data series from the United Nations System and other international organizations. Sources include FAO, ILO, WHO, and the Human Development Report. Country profiles and glossaries are also provided. Freely accessible to the public via the Internet.
- ECLAC - CEPALECLAC, which is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded with the purpose of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic ties among countries and with other nations of the world. The promotion of the region's social development was later included among its primary objectives.
Statistics and More
- People in the Balance: Population and Natural Resources at the Turn of the MilleniumThe focus here is on population, water, land, forests, fisheries,CO2, and biodiversity, with sections on each. Data is also provided for each country, both in tabular form and CSV data sets.
- NationMaster.comAllows users to generate graphs based on numerical data extracted from numerous sources. All sources are documented.
- globalEDGEFrom Michigan State University, this web-portal connects international business professionals. Contains a section on "Country Insights" with statistical data for 201 countries around the world. In addition to statistics, historical, economic, and political conditions are available.
- Country Indicators for Foreign PolicyThe CIFP database includes measures of domestic armed conflict, governance and political instability, militarization, religious and ethnic diversity, demographic stress, economic performance, human development, environmental stress, and international linkages in the form of over one hundred performance indicators for 196 countries, spanning fifteen years (1985 to 2000) for most indicators. These indicators are drawn from a variety of open sources.
- International Debt Statistics (IDS) - electronic resourceInternational Debt Statistics (IDS) presents data and analysis information on the external debt of developing countries based on actual flows and debt related transactions reported to the World Bank Debtor Reporting System (DRS) by 128 developing countries. Searchable from 1970 onward.