Research Guides: Global News + Events: Global Facts & Figures

Sources for Free Data

Demographic and Health Surveys
Collects data to monitor and evaluate population, health and nutrition programs. Surveys provide information on family planning, maternal and child health, child survival, HIV/AIDS/sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and reproductive health.
globalEDGE
Statistical data for 201 countries and background on their history, economy and political conditions from Michigan State University.
International Programs Data Tools (Census)
Basic demographic and socioeconomic data for almost every country in the world from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
NationMaster.com
Extracts facts and figures from sources such as the CIA Factbook and allows users to generate graphs by category for easy comparison.
UK National Statistics
Comprehensive data on the United Kingdom.
WorldBank
Economic data and information about the activities of the World Bank in countries and regions worldwide.
World Development Indicators
Published by the World Bank, WDI provides access to more than 600 development indicators, with time series for 208 countries and 18 country groups from 1960 to 2005, where data are available.

Fifty-State Data Sources
Federal Funds Information for States (FFIS) compiled this inventory, including a description, link, key features (such as update frequency and whether the data can be exported or customized), and FFIS’s assessment of its timeliness and ease of use.
US Census
Data tools, publications, infographics, maps and much more from the US Census Bureau.

Chicago Data Portal
City of Chicago's open data portal contains city data, neighborhood facts, etc., to create maps and graphs about the city or freely download the data for analysis.
Chicago GIS Data
Download data, maps, etc. from the city of Chicago and the US Census.
Chicago Public Schools: School Data
Access to data for Chicago Public Schools: accountability and assessment reports, demographics, metrics, and surveys.
Cook County Data Portal
Crime and Punishment in Chicago
Index of data sources surrounding the criminal justice system in Chicago. Aggregates sources of data, provides insight into how this data is generated, discusses how to get it, and exposes what data is unavailable.
Open City
Group of volunteers that create apps with open data to improve transparency and citizen understanding of Chicago government.
Illinois State Water Survey
Leader in the study of water resources for more than a century. Research and service programs provide citizens, industries, and government agencies with timely, science-based information and analysis.