LibGuides: GLS102: Comparative Government and Politics: Locating Data & Statistics

About Datasets and Statistics

There are many sources for datasets and statistics that you may want to incorporate into your projects. Below are just a sampling of sources that may be found online. Most are freely available except where otherwise noted. The sources on this page are not intended to be a comprehensive list, but rather a starting point for your research.

Statistics Sources

USA.gov: U.S. Data and Statistics
Search across multiple departments of the government to find data and statistics. Some of the information you may find can include population, economic, or demographic data.
UNESCO: Institute for Statistics
Part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the Institute for Statistics collects data from around the world on various topics related to education, culture, science, technology, and innovation.

Statista
Statista is a portal for quantitative data, statistics and related information. Use the search box to find information of interest, or choose from dropdowns providing access to information about industries, digital markets, consumer markets, and topics such as media, business, and society. Statistics, charts and/or graphs may be downloaded in the following formats: Excel, PNG Graphics, PowerPoint and PDF.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (ProQuest)
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. The site provides data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.
World Development Indicators (WDI)
World Development Indicators Online (WDI) provides direct access to more than 700 development indicators for 208 countries and 18 country groups from 1960 to 2013.

Gapminder
Gapminder gathers data from a variety of international, non-government organizations and public agencies. Gapminder World visualizes the collected data and displays much of the information over time in interactive graphs.

International Statistical Agencies (U.S. Census)
Compiled by the U.S. Census, International Statistical Agencies provides links to the official statistical agencies for countries of the world (note: some sites may not provide content in English). Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the full list of countries. Free resource.

Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Not-for-profit that provides population information and data on topics related to demographics, the environment, and health on both the U.S. and internationally.

Dataset Sources

Academic Torrents
Torrent site created to share papers and datasets (especially to help facilitate large dataset delivery) created by researchers from the University of Massachusetts.
Data.gov
Open data from the United States federal government. Can search and browse by topics including climate, education, energy, health, and more to find and download datasets.
FRED Economic Data
Economic data made available by the Federal Reserve Bank.
ICPSR: Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research
Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides downloadable data on a number of different topics related to the social sciences including economic behavior, education, health care, governments, organizational behavior, and more. Note: Some datasets are only available to member institutions and Bentley is not a member. To see if a set is publicly available to you, check the "Access Notes" for the dataset.
MPC Data Projects
Population and demographic data available from the Minnesota Population Center. Population data includes: international and national harmonized data from 1960 onwards, harmonized data from the Current Population Survey, the North Atlantic Population Project, the National Historical Geographic Inform, and American Time Use Survey-X.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
A part of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics is responsible for collecting data and statistics related to education in the United States. Find various surveys the center conducts broken down by category on the Survey and Program Areas page. Some surveys of interest may include the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (AAAL), Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), and School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) among others.
National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
Part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the NCEI provides data regarding the weather and climate.
OECD Data
Data made available from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with topics including economics, energy, education, health, innovation & technology, and government among others. Create your own queries using the OECD database OECD.Stat (Available without a subscription).
Pew Research Center Datasets
Datasets made available by the Pew Research Center with data covering topics related to U.S. Politics & Policy; Internet, Science, & Technology; Journalism & Media; Global Attitudes & Trends; and more!
UNData
United Nations Data contains official statistics, estimates and projections produced by countries and compiled by the United Nations. Domains covered are agriculture, crime, education, energy, industry, labor, national accounts, population and tourism. You can also find indicators such as Millennium Development Goals. Free resource.
WHO: Global Health Observatory (GHO) data
The World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory (GHO) provides data and statistics related to various health indicators across the globe.
World Bank Open Data
Freely available, open access data portal from The World Bank. Also provides access to World Development Indicators. You can also search using the Open Data Catalog.