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Statistics and data sources

Political economics statistics

Statistics are available from the following international organisations:

Find IMF statistics

You can find IMF reports through the Library search. They are located in the Edward Boyle Library.

If you would prefer to access IMF material online, go to the following websites:

  • IMF Country Reports: full text from 1997 onwards. The reports include information on economic developments within the nation, current economic policy, and structure.
  • World Economic Outlook Database: results of the World Economic Outlook Exercise, carried out twice a year by the IMF. Data is available on GDP and inflation for all countries.

Find OECD statistics

Online statistics are available from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with topics including economics, energy, education, health, innovation and technology, and government among others. The statistics cover 37 OECD member states.

  • OECD iLibrary: OECD iLibrary features its books, papers and statistics and is the gateway to OECD's analysis and data. OECD iLibrary also contains content published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).
  • OECD Observer: information on world economic and social issues. The annual supplement, "OECD in Figures", contains a wide range of statistics.

You can find OECD publications through the Library search. They are located in the Edward Boyle Library on Level 8.

They are ordered by the name of the organisation and then by series (for example, the OECD External debt statistics is at Official Publications International OECD/Ext).

Find UN statistics

You can find UN publications through the Library search. Many of them are kept in the Libary store.

You might also find the following websites useful:

  • FAOSTAT statistics database: data on agriculture and food for 200 countries.
  • Infonation: educational materials on countries, with links to basic statistics on economic development.
  • Social indicators: social indicators covering a wide range of subject matters.
  • UN Development: papers, statistics, models and forecasts covering areas including trade, sustainable development, and environment.
  • UNESCO Institute for Statistics: statistics from around the world related to education, culture, science, technology, and innovation for all UNESCO countries and regional groupings from 1970.
  • UN Statistical yearbook: annual compilation of statistics, produced since 1948.
  • UN Statistics Division: details of publications and statistical products (many of these are reproduced in the United Nations Statistical Yearbook).

Find World Bank statistics

World Bank publications are listed in the Library Search. Many of them are kept in the Library store.

You might also find the following websites useful:

  • Genderstats: coverage includes a summary gender profile, basic development data, population dynamics, labour force structure, education, and health.
  • Social Indicators of Development: detailed data for assessing human welfare to provide a picture of the social effects of economic development. The data is from 1965 to 1992 and is searchable by country, year and indicator.
  • World Bank development data: development data and related information including national statistics on poverty and inequality by countries and regions.
  • World Development Indicators: annual compilation of data about development, organised in six sections: world view, people, environment, economy, states and markets, and global links.
  • World Development Reports: each report is an in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of development; eg transition economies, labour, infrastructure, health, the environment, and poverty.