LOCATING INTERNATIONAL
STATISTICS
The BIG FOUR – International Statistical Databases Matrix
|
Database |
Distributed by |
Years of coverage |
Types of Series |
Topic/Focus of database |
Remote Access Available |
|
IFS |
IMF |
1948 - |
Monthly Quarterly Annual |
|
Y |
|
WDI |
World Bank |
1960 - |
Annual (?) |
Good for Social Indicators |
Y |
|
GDF |
World Bank |
1970- |
Annual (?) |
External Debt/ Financial Flow |
Y |
|
EIU |
Economist Intelligence Unit |
1980 - |
Monthly Quarterly Annual |
|
N |
When using any of these statistical databases, you will need to select:
Country/Geographical Region + Series + Year/s
IFS (International Financial Statistics): This database has the longest run of coverage. It also has the ability to select by monthly, quarterly, and annual time series. Unfortunately, it is a very clunky database.
WDI[H1] (World Development Indicators): This is the database that I usually start with, if the student needs anything since 1960. It is the easiest to use and is not as slow as EIU tends to be, so it allows the students to get a feel for the Country+Series+Years way of navigating through the various databases.
There are two ways to select within the database – “Tree View” and “Alphabetical.” The Tree View groups series together by concept and can be especially useful if the user doesn’t know exactly what he/she is after. Tree View is also available for Country selection that can be used to select various aggregates (for example: Latin American countries, High & Low Income countries, etc.)
GDF (Global Development Finance): This database has the same interface as the WDI, so navigating it should be easy. The focus of this database is on “external debt and financial flow data.”
EIU Country Data (Economist Intelligence Unit): This database is very good, but can be incredibly slow. It has some of the best graphing/display functionality that students might want to make use of for presentations, etc.
Similar to the WDI, this database allow for easy selection by Country, Region and Regional Aggregates. It also has the ability to select series by “Concept”, which is similar to the Tree View in WDI.
**It’s important to note that different databases/sources
may give the same name to different groups….so you’ll need to check to see, for
example, what countries they include in “
Other Databases to Consider:
LexisNexis
Statistical: Indexes
about 2,000 statistical titles from some 100 international intergovernmental
organizations. Materials date back to
1983 and are from the Index to International Statistics (IIS). The
bibliographic citation includes a “Record number” (ex. Record Number: IIS 2006 3380-D1.225.) This number
corresponds to the numbers on the IIS Microfiche Collection, which we have for 1986-current. [H2]
LexisNexis statistical also
includes the “Table Base edition” that provides full text of tables from
various publications.
BOOKS:
1. Statistical Yearbook (United Nations) [LC Shelves – HA 12.5 .U63]
We have 1949-current.[H3] The four areas of coverage are:
· World & Region Summaries
· Population & Social Statistics
· Economic Activity
· International Economic Relations
2. Demographic Yearbook (United Nations) - [LC Shelves – HA 17.D45]
We have 1948-current. This publication focuses on vital statistics (births, deaths,
marriages, etc.) In addition to these general categories, each edition has a ‘special
focus’ – these are listed (for all years) in a table at the beginning of each volume
(pg. iii in the 2002 ed.)
3. Government Finance Statistics Yearbook [HJ 101 .G68]
We have 1977-current …some in Central Stacks and some in LC Shelves. As the
name implies, this is an especially good resource for government finance questions
(such as, ‘how
much does the central government of
4. Regional Statistical Yearbooks:
· Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean [HA 775.A68] We have 1985-current….some in Central Stacks and some in LC Shelves.
· Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific [HA 1665 .S73]
We have 1968-current, with a few missing….again, some in Central Stacks and some in LC Shelves.
· Eurostat Yearbook
We have 1995-current, LC Shelves.
A Good overview source for information on countries. Includes a summary, information on recent events, and info on government spending (for example, amount spent on defense) included in the narrative section. Also has tables covering various indicators.
5. Don’t forget to look at the various Statistical Abstracts or Statistical Yearbooks that
we have for various countries in the Reference Alcove in the HA[H4] Call Number
section.
WEBSITES:
· http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
· http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1090,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
· Websites for the various agencies of the United Nations, for example, UNESCO, UNICEF, etc. Are good places to look for reports and statistics on the topics that the agencies focus on.
· Links to statistical agencies/departments for other countries. Many will have option for “English”, others will not. http://www.census.gov/aboutus/stat_int.html & http://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htm