Reliable Research on a Ramen Budget

When Your Dollars are Short, but Your Curiosity Isn’t

Tip: Bookmark this page for quick access to the world’s best free research databases!

UN Ecosystem

Sustainable Development Goals Data Portal
Official UN SDG data covering 230+ global indicators. Explore/download by country, goal, or indicator.
Human Development Report Data Center
Global human development indicators including HDI, education, health, income, gender, and poverty for 190+ countries.
World Population Prospects
Demographic data and projections for 237 countries, 1950–2100. Interactive charts, maps, and CSVs.
FAO Statistical Database
Over 3 million agriculture and food system data points, 1961–present, 245 countries, 35+ domains.
UN Comtrade Commodity Trade Statistics Database
Detailed global trade data by country, commodity, flow, and more. Interactive dashboards and metadata.
UNCTAD Statistical Database
150+ indicators on trade, economy, finance, environment, digital economy, and more; data since 1950s.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime Statistical Database
Global crime, justice, and drug-related statistics. Interactive dashboards, downloadable datasets.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Global data on education, science, culture, and communication for 200+ countries.
WHO Global Health Observatory
1,000+ public health indicators for ~200 countries. Interactive maps and dashboards.
ITU Datahub
Global ICT and telecommunication indicators for nearly 200 countries. Interactive dashboards.
UN ECLAC Data & Statistics
Economic and social data for Latin America and the Caribbean. Mapping, trade, and census tools.

Development Banks & Multilaterals

World Bank Databank
Free global development indicators on poverty, health, education, and the economy.
International Monetary Fund Data Portal
Data on GDP, inflation, trade balances, interest rates, and more.
Asian Development Bank Data Library
Asia‑Pacific macroeconomic and social indicators from ADB.
African Development Bank Africa Information Highway
Socioeconomic and infrastructure indicators for all 54 African countries.
New Development Bank All Projects
Infrastructure and sustainable development project data, filterable by country, sector, and more.

Regional Blocs

Eurostat
European Union’s official statistics portal.
European Data Portal
Official portal for European data.
ASEAN Statistics Web Portal
Data on ASEAN member states’ economies and societies.
Mercosur Trade Statistics Portal
Trade statistics for Mercosur countries.
APEC Project Database
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation project and statistics database.

Research Platforms & Archives

ICPSR at the University of Michigan
Social science data archive for research and instruction.
International IDEA
Data on democracy and electoral processes worldwide.
Pew Research Center
U.S. and global public opinion, demographic, and social research.

Aggregators & Thematics

Our World in Data
Research and data on the world’s biggest problems.
International Energy Agency Data and Statistics
Global energy statistics and analysis.
Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
U.S. and international economic data.
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Official U.S. energy production and consumption data.
CIA World Fact Book
Country profiles with facts, demographics, and statistics.
Protected Planet
Global database on protected areas and biodiversity.