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Internet sources of information and statistics

General Information

Statistical Universe (OSU only)
This includes IIS: International Index to Statistics (MIC HA36 .I54)described above in "Key Indexes." Choose "Statistical Searches" and then "Subject." Enter your search, adjust date (generally "all available dates" works best), and scroll down to "sources to search" and choose "international and intergovernmental." A user can input descriptive terms and retrieve descriptions of statistical publications which contain those terms. If it appears, from looking at abstracts, that a useful source of statistics has been found, then the user would go to the MIC (Microforms) area where the full text of the statistical source should be found on microfiche. (Occasionally, when a source is selected, it will come up in full text, but usually one must go to the microfiche, as described above. At some time in the future, most sources will be online full text. But that is not the case at present).

Popline  (OSU only)
PLEASE NOTE:This database is now part of the Medline database. Citations on population, family planning, and related health care, law, and policy issues, some dating back to 1827, are indexed in Popline. Included are citations and to and abstracts of journal articles, monographs, technical reports, and unpublished works. These abstracts may lead to sources of hard-to-find international statistics. This source comes from Johns Hopkins University which also publishes the printed source Population Index for which the years from 1986 through 1999 are available on the Internet at: Population Index.

Matter of Fact (OSU only)
Gives actual statistics in brief paragraphs or abstracts. These statistics are drawn from news sources and from government hearings and similar sources which are not covered in the "Four key indexes" described above. The statistics are usually very brief and can be contained in a paragraph or two. A useful approach is to check and see what is available by country.

Special subjects

• AGRICULTURE

Production Yearbook Agriculture Library HD1421.F585
Also available as FAOSTAT Database

From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Contains about 225 tables which contain annual data on all important aspects of food and agriculture, including population, index numbers of agricultural and of food production, food supplies, means of production, prices, freight rates, and wages throughout the world. Where no official or semi-official figures are available from countries, estimates are made by FAO on area and production of major crops, livestock and products.

• CHILDREN

State of the World's Children
Progress of Nations

• COST OF LIVING

Defense Department Official Per Diem Rates
Maximum Travel Per Diem Allowances for Foreign Areas
International Price Index- (scroll down to IPI)

• CRIME

International Criminal Statistics Main Library Reference HV6208I571998
Put out by Interpol. Arranged by country. For each country covers homicide, sexual offenses, rape, assault, theft, armed robbery, breaking and entering, automobile theft, fraud, counterfeit, and drug offenses.

World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems
U.N. World Crime Survey
OSU Reference Page on Crime (scroll down to International Crime Statistics)
Patterns of Global Terrorism
Other Reports on Terrorism
World Prison Population

• DISASTERS

Earthquake Lists

• DRUG PRODUCTION

The World of Drugs

• ECONOMY SEE FINANCE
• ELECTIONS

Elections Since 1945: A Worldwide Reference Compendium - Main Reference JF1001.E36 1989
Covers all national presidential and legislative elections in sovereign states or since the date when the country achieved independence. Arranged by country and gives information on suffrage, political parities and summary of election results. Information varies on countires, with some having extensive tables, charts, and graphs.

The International Almanac of Electoral History- Main Reference JF1001.M324 1991
Arranged by country. Begins with overview, followed by tables of political parties, elections, and election results by party. Gives dates of elections also. Many election results, some as far back as 1900. A definitive source of election results.

Elections around the World

• ENERGY

Energy Statistics Yearbook Main Library Reference TN1.U433 1998

The first 5 tables of this volume present an historical view of the world and regional production and consumption of commercial energy in coal, oil and joule equivalents, in index number form and as a percentage of total consumption for the years 1955-1979. The next five tables provide a similar ten-year series for individual countries. Additional tables cover data for the most recent ten-year period for individual commodities for world regions and countries. Updated production figures are included in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. (Global Data Locator)
International Energy Data.

• ENVIRONMENT

World Resources Main Library Reference HC59.W594
Also available at World Resources

Consists of narrative chapters followed by a section of data tables. Chapters analyze conditions and trends in regard to people and environment, China and India, food, forests, biodiversity, energy, water, atmosphere and climate, industry, international institutions and national and local policies. The last portion of the book consists of data tables for countries of the world covering basic economic indicators, population and human development, land cover and settlements, biodiversity, energy and materials, water, atmosphere and climate, and policies and institutions. An excellent reference source.

See also Environmental Policies and List of National Parks and Protected Areas and Endangered Species

• FINANCE

Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook Business Library HF1014.I53 (datasets available for experienced users)

Balance of payment statistics for over 140 countries are presented. Each edition covers the eight or nine most recent periods available. Analytical tables and commentaries on significant developments are included. Annual issue contains data for standard components and their aggregates. Monthly booklets are published to update the aggregated statements, and a supplement presenting series topically, rather than by country is also available.

International Financial Statistics Yearbook Business Library HG3881.I628 (NA Internet)

Has annual data covering a thirty-year period and is issued as a supplement to International Financial Statistics, a monthly periodical which provides a continuing statistical record of the financial status of member IMF nations. The Yearbook contains tables on exchange rates, gold prices and production, world trade and price levels.

Index of Economic Freedom Main Reference Desk HB95.I524. Also available at Index of Economic Freedom

This index is composed of 10 factors including trade policy, fiscal burden of government, government intervention in the economy, monetary policy, capital flows and foreign investment, banking, wages and prices, property rights, regulation, and black market. Begins with five essays on subjects such as economic freedom and foreign aid, and the institutional setting of economic growth. The major portion of the work consists of individual profiles of countries of the world covering the 10 factors noted above. Particularly useful for hard-to-find taxation rates, tax policies, and black market information for individual countries.

Handbook of International Economic Statistics Main Library Reference HC59.U55 Also available at Handbook of International Economic Statistics

Dollar estimates are based on PPP (Purchasing Power Parity). Covers selected countries which appear to include most countries of the world. Countries are grouped into OECD, selected East European, and Other.

Begins with section of maps of world . Gives GDP per capita, European countries in, and who have applied to the European Union, and section on China. Pie chart of world GDP and population, selected world statistics of raw materials and productivity. Economic profile of OECD, European Union, and other organizations covers standard economic data, automobile registrations, educational expense, telephones, consumer price growth, literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality. Charts show defense spending as share of GDP, growth in capital stock, health expenditures, net national savings, share of government research funds to non-defense research, labor and

manufacturing statistics, real GDP per capita, agriculture and oil prices, inflation, debt, foreign direct investment, average rate of growth, productivity, unemployment, personal savings per capita, consumption of certain foods, production of commodities, exports. Also many charts of environment, emissions, pollution control expenditures. Also map with Soviet designated nuclear plants in Europe and radiation hot spots. Also covers environmental problem areas in Russia and Far East, waste disposal, deforestation, forests. Gives participation in major international agreements.

Country Commercial Guides
Country Reports on Economic Policy and Practices
Emerging Markets Data Base(no longer freely available)
International Trade Statistics

• HEALTH

World Health Statistics Annual Main Library Reference RA651.A485
(Not yet available on the Internet. However, a new database "Mortality Monitoring System" is planned to be available soon).

This publication is a continuation of a series of publications, the Annual Epidemiological and Vital Statistics published since 1939. It is the result of a joint effort by national health and statistical administrations of various countries and the United Nations. It consists of three parts: Volume I, Vital Statistics and Causes of Death, Volume 2, Infectious Diseases: Cases and Deaths, and Volume 3, Health Personnel and Hospital Establishments. Also includes life expectancy statistics for the world. Supplemented on a quarterly basis by World Health Statistics Quarterly. See also Global Burden of Disease and Injury Series (Health & Sciences Library R441.G56 1996) which gives a compendium of global health statistics, including incidence, prevalence, and mortality estimates for over 200 conditions.

See also Country Health Profiles (The Americas)
World Health Statistics

• LABOR

International Yearbook of Labour Statistics Main Library Reference Desk HD7806.I62
Statistical data from more than 180 countries and territories are provided on such subjects as population, employment, hours of work, wages, consumer prices, household budgets, industrial accidents, industrial disputes and exchange rates. An index of countries, territories, and areas is provided. The Yearbook is supplemented by the Bulletin of Labour Statistics.

See also Foreign Labor Statistics
Foreign Labor Statistics (by country)

• MILITARY AND WAR

Defense and Foreign Affairs Yearbook - Main Reference UA10.D45
Has political, economic, and defense data on every country in the world. Arranged by country. In adddition to basic information, gives an overview of defense, structure of defense forces, key personnel, available manpower, equipment for army, navy, and air force. Also gives insurgency groups and their military strength.

World Military and Social Expenditures - Main Reference HJ469.S58
Begins with an essay on all aspects of the military burden and warfare. Has good table of wars and war related deaths from 1900 to the present. Gives location and identification of each conflict and separate figures for civilian and military deaths. Gives ranking of countries on military and social expenditures, including expenditures per capita and per soldier, compared with social statistics.

See also Peace and Conflicts, Disputes, Violence, and Wars Boundary Disputes

• POPULATION
  

National Population Policies See also International Population Data Base and Population Reference Bureau. World Population Data Sheet and OSU Reference page on Population

• REFUGEES

World Refugee Survey - Main Reference HV640.A1 W62
Begins with a section on world refugee statistics including major movements of refugees, refugees and asylum seekers worldwide and then by continent and country, principal sources of refugees and internally displaced persons, contributions to international refugee aid, ratio of refugges to asylum country population, asylum applications, repatriations, returns, and expulsions. Also has essays for each country with further statistics.
See also Worldwide Refugee Information

• RELIGION

Atlas of the World's Religions Main Reference G1046.E4A84 1999
Gives world map showing distribution of religions and statistics in chapter on Religion in the World Today.
Religions of the World
Worldwide Church Attendance

• WOMEN

Statistical Record of Women Worldwide - Main Reference HQ1150.S73 1995
Covers a wide variety of statistics on attitudes and opinions, business and economics, crime, domestic life, education, health and medical care, income, labor, military, population and vital statistics, public life, religion, sexuality, and sports and recreation. However, all tables do not systematically represent all countries. Some tables cover all countries, but most tables only cover a few countries, or a small group of countries. These statistics were collected from a wide variety of published and unpublished sources and supplement those found in general statistical sources.
The World's Women 2000: Trends and Statistics.

Need more or different information? Try these Index Sites
Foreign Government Resources on the Web
Adminet World
Foreign Governments from Yahoo
International Information
Foreign Information
Foreign Statistical Agencies