General Resources for all Countries

Search Engines for Country, Language, or Region-Specific Searches

Search Engine Colossus and Search Engine Guide are comprehensive global master directories of local search engines for regional, country, or language-specific searches. Yahoo! provides country-specific, regional, and official government site search options. Google offers a comprehensive Language Tools Page to search in specific languages or countries, translate text, change language interfaces, or link to country-specific Google sites.

Global Statistics-- Directory site from the United Nations, allowing access to national and international statistics from the U.N., other IGOs, and official agencies of member states.

Internet Crossroads in Social Science Data-- From the Data and Program Library Service, University of Wisconsin-Madison, searchable site that "contains over 825 annotated links to data-related resources on the Internet."

OFFSTATS: Official Statistics on the Web-- Annotated links to sites offering "free and easily accessible social, economic and general data from official sources,"current data and time series, by country, IGO, topic, or subject.

Statistical Resources on the Web-- From the University of Michigan Library Documents Center, annotated links to authoritative U.S. and international online sources of statistics on many topics.

Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web-- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, listing U.S. and international online sources of all kinds of reliable statistics.

Statistics-- From RBA Information Services, in the UK, a very extensive compilation of links to statistics sources worldwide, for many countries and topical areas.

World in Figures-- From the Library of Statistics Finland, with "28 Excel tables of country-specific structural data on all the countries of the world. The number of countries is 241 and themes 260. The data can be found easily by means of a separate index."

NOTE: Also check the U.S. Government Information Sources,  International Business and Economics: U.S. Government Sources, and the various regional sections of this Virtual Library Web site for country, regional, or world statistics and reports.

• aneki.com-- Provides statistical facts plus continental and world rankings for countries, in various categories and from standard sources.

• Atlapedia Online-- Presents full color physical and political maps, as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world.

• Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade offers Country, Economy, and Regional Information and Country and Economy Fact Sheets, the latter in PDF format.

• Background Notes-- From the U.S. Department of State, basic information on countries and international organizations.

• Braintrack-- Index of links to the higher education institutions of the world, by continent and country.

• Cato Institute-- This libertarian U.S. think-tank publishes an annual Economic Freedom of the World report, free online, that ranks countries on dozens of measures of economic freedom.

• Central Intelligence Agency of the United States publishes an excellent searchable World Factbook reference annual, with data and maps-- one of the most widely-respected online sources of current country and world information. Now includes the ability to rank order countries on statistical measures.

• Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments-- Current list from the Central Intelligence Agency.

• Consular Affairs Bureau-- A site for travelers, from the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Office of the Canadian government, with abundant and excellent current reports on country characteristics, maps, situations, issues, and risks worldwide, by country.

• Country Indicators for Foreign Policy-- From the Paterson School of International Affairs of Carleton University,  statistical information on comparative "measures of domestic armed conflict, governance and political instability, militarization, religious and ethnic diversity, demographic stress, economic performance, human development, environmental stress, and international linkages" for nearly 200 countries over time.

• Country Library-- From The Bag Lady, a British global directory for women in business, a data bank query facility that produces a profile on the country of your choice, in the areas of "peoples, populations, country cultures, business etiquette, currencies, shopping habits, trading information, country and embassy contacts."

• Country Profiles-- Prepared by UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office desk officers, with "information on the country's recent history, recent political developments, relations with the international community and bilateral political and commercial relations with the UK, as well as links to other relevant pages on the FCO website."

• Country Profiles-- The BBC News World Edition has country profiles that "provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. They also include audio and video clips from the BBC archives."

• Country Profiles-- From Window on the World, summaries of social and business etiquette in many countries.

• Country and Regional Data-- Very useful and well-organized selection over a wide range of variables, from the Everything International academic site for international business, by Professor Lloyd Russow.

• Country Reports-- From the April 2002 PBS (United States) TV documentary on the global economy "Commanding Heights," this page provides a wide range of summary information and data on the economic development of about 40 countries, from 1910 to the present.

• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-- Texts of yearly reports by the U.S. Department of State, and related documents. Reports from 1993 to 1999 are available on an archive site.

• Country Statistics-- From UNICEF, country data on measures of well-being, particularly for children.

• Countries and Regions Page-- From the U.S. Department of State, with information on regions, countries, U.S. diplomatic missions, more.

• Development Gateway-- A major portal on development issues, with excellent information and analysis available by country, development activity area, and other categories.

• Economist Country Briefings--  Analytical summaries for scores of countries, composed of "articles from The Economist, background profiles, forecasts and statistics from the Economist Intelligence Unit, market and currency updates, newswires and links."

• Electionworld-- A most useful site for accessing online election results, parties, parliaments, electoral institutes, electoral calendars, and political databases for many countries.

• Embassy World-- Directory of the world's embassies and consulates in a searchable database.

• Foreign Government Publications and Maps-- Links to governments and their publications, maps, resources, and databases, from Northwestern University Library.

• Foreign Government Resources on the Web-- Variety of annotated links from the University of Michigan Documents Center.

• Freedom House-- Many online studies ranking countries on measures of freedom, informative backgrounders, and other publications are offered by this nonprofit, nonpartisan U.S. organization dedicated to promoting democracy around the world. Note especially their extensive yearly online report Freedom in the World.

• Genderstats-- From the World Bank, an electronic database of gender statistics and indicators, by country and category.

• Guide to public opinion poll Web sites: Polling data from around the world-- Annotated article on Internet resources around  the world for public opinion studies, as of October 2006, in full-text and with hypertext links, from the College and Research Libraries News of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

• Human Development Report Office, United Nations Development Programme-- The annual Human Development Report is an excellent comprehensive guide to global human development, with analyses of major issues, updated Human Development Indicators that compare the relative levels of human development of over 175 countries, and an agenda to help transform development priorities. Much of the report is available online, and links to regional and national HDI reports.

• Human Rights Watch-- Dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world, by investigating and exposing human rights violations and holding abusers accountable. Many reports online, including their yearly World Report.

• Index of Economic Freedom-- From the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, "a [searchable] practical reference guide to the world's economies. It includes country-by-country analyses and the most up-to-date data available on foreign investment codes, taxes, tariffs, banking regulations, monetary policy, black markets, and more."

• Infoplease (World section)-- An almanac approach to world and country facts, statistics, and events.

• International Foundation for Election Systems-- Private, nonprofit U.S. organization supporting electoral and other democratic institutions in emerging, evolving, and experienced democracies--"one of the world's premier democracy and governance assistance organizations." Excellent electoral information and analysis. See the Election Guide for election news and analysis worldwide.

• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance-- Aims to promote and advance sustainable democracy, improve and consolidate electoral processes world-wide, and provide a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. This excellent site from Sweden offers news, analyses, and databases. Note especially Women in Politics and the Voter Turnout Website. Also check out the several partner projects, such as the Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Project.

• International Monetary Fund-- The IMF oversees a wide range of international economic and financial issues. Numerous publications on such issues, including country information and the World Economic Outlook report, are available and searchable online. Try the IMF Publications search engine to locate analyses of economic and social developments by country, many in full-text in PDF.

• Inter-Parliamentary Union-- Information on the IPU(the world organization of parliaments of sovereign states), the functioning of parliamentary democracy around the world, women in parliaments, and links to parliamentary web sites. The PARLINE database gives information about all the functioning national legislative bodies in the world.

• Library of Congress Country Studies Series--  This excellent keyword-searchable site contains book-length "description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world." Look through the Country Profiles series for "brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security."

• Luxembourg Income and Employment Studies --  Standardized collections of household surveys with demographic, income, and expenditure data for about 30 countries and labor force surveys for these countries. Free for use, but requires registration.

• Munisource-- "Largest collection of links to municipal government-related information on the Web," very comprehensive and global in coverage.

• NationMaster-- Great site for comparative statistics. "A massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Using the form above, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease."

• One World--Nations Online-- By Netscout, a list of selected official and unofficial virtual gateways to the countries of the world, most of them in the respective country. Loads of useful information on and via this site.

• Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation-- The international organization of the industrialized, market-economy countries, to exchange information and harmonize policy to maximize economic growth within member countries and assist non-member countries to develop more rapidly. Many OECD statistics and papers are posted online. The searchable Publications and Documents section is a good place to start. OECD resources focusing on a particular country (OECD member or not) can be found  at the Country Portal. Note especially the  very useful annual OECD Factbook for economic, environmental, and social statistics.

• Penn World Table-- From the Center for International Comparisons of Production, Income and Prices, University of Pennsylvania, "provides purchasing power parity and national income accounts converted to international prices for 188 countries for some or all of the years 1950-2004."

• Political Resources on the Net-- Listings of political sites available on the Internet sorted by country, with links to parties, organizations, governments, media, and more from all around the world.

• Population Reference Bureau-- Excellent for authoritative data and analysis on world, regional, and national population and demographics trends. Features a large downloadable graphics bank of PowerPoint presentation graphics. Note their Annual Report and their annual World Population Data Sheet for "up-to-date demographic, health, and environment data for all the countries and major regions of the world." Search for data and analysis by topic, region, or country. The handy DataFinder has data on "133 population, health, and environment variables for more than 220 countries, 28 world regions and sub-regions, and the world as a whole." The quarterly Population Bulletins on selected topics are very useful.

• Portals to the World-- From the U.S. Library of Congress, "selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world." Excellent source of country information.

• Regional and Country Profiles-- From the excellent Electronic Development and Environment Information System (ELDIS), a wide variety of detailed country-specific information and analysis.

• Statistical Agencies in the UN/ECE Region-- Links to national and international statistics agencies relevant to the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe's 55 member countries in Europe and North America.

• Statistical Resources on the Web-- From the University of Michigan Documents Center, well-organized and easy to use access to statistics of a wide variety and from diverse sources.

• Timeanddate.com-- Know the current time and date at locations around the world. The World Clock Customizer allows you to keep track of time in locations of your own interest.

• TimeTicker-- Shows time zones around the world, and current time and date by country.

• Time Zone Converter-- Find the time anywhere in the world, updated for the start or ending of Daylight Saving Time in each locality. Printable Time Zone Reference Card option.

• Transparency International-- "The global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption...[with a mission] to create change towards a world free of corruption... by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement, raising awareness and diminishing apathy and tolerance of corruption, as well as devising and implementing practical actions to address it." TI's many excellent online corruption surveys, indices, working papers, and reports analyze and rank countries "in terms of the degree to which they are perceived to be the homes of... public officials who abuse their office for personal gain."

• Travelers' Health-- From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including information on countries and regions.

• Trends in Europe and North America-- From the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Statistical Division, country profiles of the ECE's 55 member countries in Europe and North America, from the book of the same title.

• United Nations Population Fund-- "World's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes." This U.N. site provides much information, news, and analysis on world population issues, including the excellent annual State of World Population report, free online. Note the Population and Reproductive Health Country Profiles, updated annually with basic country information on population, social, economic, and health indicators.

• United Nations Population Information Network (POPIN)-- Statistics on global and national populations, electronic library, reports, conference proceedings, organization directories, regional links, and much more.

• United Nations Statistics Division-- From the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, a vast array of world, regional, and national statistics from many national and international sources.

• United States Census Bureau's International Statistics Data Base-- A rich computerized data bank containing statistical tables of past, present, and projected demographic and socio-economic data for most countries and all areas of the world. Check the International Programs Center. Note the World Population Profile: 1998, "the latest published compendium and analysis of data on population, fertility, mortality, contraceptive use and related demographic topics by the U.S. Census Bureau," and the World POPClock Projection. Note the Population Pyramids feature, which offers population pyramids to show the distribution of population by age and sex for a country. The Census Bureau also posts online (in PDF) the Statistical Abstract of the United States. There is a helpful international Statistical Agencies page that links statistical agencies of many countries.

• Universal Currency Converter-- This full version of the Universal Currency Converter figures rates among over 180 currencies. A standard version is also available for most uses.

• Universities Worldwide-- Searchable database of links to thousands of universities in scores of countries, from the University of Innsbruck.

• Voter Turnout from 1945 to Date-- From the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a database and analysis of voting participation in scores of countries for the period, for parliamentary and presidential elections. Results given by country, region, regime, electoral system, social variables, or global trends.

• Weather Forecasts and Climates-- Current weather and forecasts are found at AccuWeather, CNN, Intellicast World Weather, Qwikcast,  weather.com, WeatherBug, and Wunderground. Weatherbase gives climatological descriptions, historical weather patterns, records, and averages around the world. World Climate shows average climate, year-round, for thousands of locales around the world.

• World Bank Data and Statistics-- The World Bank Group's extensive data resources are organized and available through this site. The Data by Country page presents time-series tables of key indicators by country. Also see the data and analysis available at the Countries and Regions page. The Quick Reference tables "show the most recent World Bank estimates of total population, gross domestic product (GDP), and gross national income (GNI). The tables include a ranking of countries both by total size and in per capita terms."

• World Database of Happiness-- "An ongoing register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life. It brings together findings that are scattered throughout many studies and provides a basis for synthetic studies." Includes data by country. From Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

• World Flag Database-- Flags of countries and international organizations, with basic country information.

• World Guide-- A fine interactive site that is "a series of guides for over 270 countries and territories. These include articles, features, demographics, geography data, interactive world maps, satellite photos, scrollable city images and links to resources about each country within the GEsource database. You can even compare data between countries." From the UK's GEsource, a free information resource for geography and the environment.

• Worldinformation-- "Reliable, relevant business, political and economic information on all the world's 228 countries and territories," accessible by categories or countries, from the World of Information, in the U.K.

• World InfoZone-- Individually linked news and country profiles for all countries, with special educational features on many countries, plus dozens of subject areas with selected links and subject and country quizzes.

• World Region/Countries-- From MSU Global Access at Michigan State University, excellent searchable regional and country-specific pages with information accessible by thematic area, user group, resource type, and language.

• WORLDTIME-- Features an interactive world atlas, information on local time, sunrise and sunset times in several hundred cities, and a database of public holidays worldwide.

• World Time Server-- Gives current local times in cities and countries, including real time adjustments for daylight savings time, and compares time differences among places for a given future date. Includes maps.

• World Values Survey-- Insightful results and analysis of a major international academic team's investigation of sociocultural and political attitudes and their changes, through representative surveys of the basic values and beliefs of publics in scores of societies, covering a high percentage of the world's population. Principal findings, charts, methodology, bibliography, some articles online.

• Yahoo! Directory: Countries-- Provides key links to many informational topics for most countries of the world.