This guide, created by SSHEL, includes a list of background resources and datasets.

An expansive guide created by SSHEL that includes statistical sources & datasets.

A guide created by SSHEL on resources you can use for economics research.

A list of databases that include datasets that the library subscribes to.

A guide on how to find statistics.

A guide on how to find text datasets.

Download, graph, and track 824,000+ US and international time series from 114+ sources. Open access.

Data tables and charts related to international financial statistics from the International Monetary Fund.

This resource has time-series data for more than 200 countries and areas, exchange rates and fund position for member countries as well as information about national accounts, interest rates, inflation, etc. Maintained by the International Monetary Fund.
For definitions of data terms, click here for Manuals and Guides.
For database help, click "Help" in the upper right-hand corner of the IMF eLibrary homepage.

The NBER Public Use Data Archive is an eclectic mix of public-use economic, demographic, and enterprise data obtained over the years to satisfy the specific requests of NBER-affiliated researchers for particular projects.

CDMNext is a web-based portal for accessing macroeconomic data about international markets. It collates datasets from thousands of sources worldwide. U of I users may click the “Go” button under Guest Access to start using the database, OR register a personal account for a more customized experience.

Offers wide-range information on businesses including company financials, history, property, etc.

This page is meant to be a comprehensive site of free, easily available economic time series data useful for economic research, in particular economic forecasting.

Bloomberg is useful in extracting sovereign debt, commodities, and other financial data. Bloomberg terminals are available in the Margolis Market Information Lab in the Business Instructional Facility located at 515 East Gregory Drive, Champaign.

Search or browse more than 27,000 documents including research published by the World Bank.

An annual report published by the World Bank which "explores the short-, medium, and long-term outlook for the global economy and the implications for developing countries and poverty reduction. Each year the Report focuses on the long-term analysis of issues that are central to development and poverty reduction, including trade, regionalism, migration and remittances, climate change, and technological innovation and their impact on developing countries." The full report is available to download free of charge.

A listing of available World Bank datasets, including databases, pre-formatted tables, reports, and other resources.

This World Bank resource includes more than 900 indicators documenting the state of all the world’s economies. The World Development Indicators covers education, health, poverty, environment, economy, trade, etc.

This website, managed by the St. Louis Federal Reserve, is a digital repository for the Federal Reserve, focusing on U.S. economic,financial, and banking history.

Economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 1977 to the most recent economic census in 2022. Includes various interactive data tools.

Data.gov provides access to federal data generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government with information ranging in areas from education, energy, health, law, and more.

Provides easy access to census data. It brings together demographic, economic, environmental, health, and other datasets that are usually separated by geography and/or organization.

From the United States Department of Labor. Covers a variety of labor statistics including inflation & prices, employment, unemployment, pay & benefits, spending & times use, productivity, workplace injuries, and some international statistics.

Monitors Trade, traffic data for automobiles, airlines, etc., travel, and more.

The Penn World Table provides purchasing power parity and national income accounts converted to international prices for 183 countries for some or all of the years 1950-2019. The European Union or the OECD provide more detailed purchasing power and real product estimates for their countries and the World Bank makes current price estimates for most PWT countries at the GDP level.

Provides a summary of that country's Polity codes and a graphic illustration of changes in Polity scores over the contemporary period 1946 (or date of independence) through 2013, including indicators of major episodes of armed civil conflict (from the State Failure Problem Set).

Annual international trade statistics, provided by over 200 countries, detailed by commodity and partner country to the United Nations, are stored in UN COMTRADE, a computerized data base system, all values are converted in US dollars and metric units, the coverage dates as far back as 1962.

This UN dataset provides 100 economic trend indicators for over 200 countries. Time series go back to 2000.

Issued by the U.S. Department of State. The reports, dating from 1993 to 2001, provide comprehensive analysis of economic policies and trade practices of countries. The reports were abolished in 2002.

The Index of Economic Freedom covers 10 specific freedoms such as trade freedom, business freedom, investment freedom, and property rights in 184 countries.

Similar to Business Week but with an international focus, Euromoney is a financial magazine that covers companies and economic situations around the world. The Regions and Countries area of the web site is a good place to find recent articles on events and issues in particular countries, but to search there, you must first apply for a username and password. Each September the magazine publishes a list of the world's countries ranked by level of risk. This list is particularly useful because it identifies and defines key components of risk.

Call Number: Q. 337.021 W893
Publication Date: 1996-2011
Main Stacks
Provides a multi-dimensional approach to benchmark a country's performance to global economies. Analyzes and ranks each nation's ability to provide an environment that sustains the competitiveness of enterprises. Divided into four main categories: Economic Performance, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency, and Infrastructure. Helpful graphs show rankings in terms of population, GDP, and region. Detailed explanation of methods is provided.
The library only has print versions through 2011. Online editions of later volumes can be found here.

1948-present. Statistical data produced by governmental agencies, private organizations, and major intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Emphasis on the United States, with some international coverage.

(Cornell University) - A search interface to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, a non-profit education and research organization that studies politics, government, public institutions, international relations, business, social affairs, and consumer behavior. Includes sources from major broadcasting and news organizations.

Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.

(United Nations) Access data from the United Nations Statistics Division. This database provides information from many UN departments, agencies, and programs.

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) "maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields."