Research Guides: Political Science: Country Data

Country Data

The resources below are good starting points for finding general information and statistics about individual countries.

Internet Resources

The resources below are good starting points for finding general information and statistics about individual countries.

The World Factbook (CIA.gov)
Current and free reference resource for data on 262 countries. Also includes political and physical maps. Produced for U.S. policymakers and coordinated by the U.S. Intelligence Community.
World Bank Data
Free and open access global development data. Browse by country or by indicator (e.g., Climate Change, Economy & Growth, Education)
UN Data
Provides access to international statistical databases through one search interface. Includes specialized databases (e.g., UNComtrade, SDG indicators, MBS Online), statistical tables from the UN Statistical Yearbook, and statistical profiles of countries and regions.

Library Databases (Rowan login required)

Political Handbook of the World This link opens in a new window
Authoritative source for finding complete facts and analysis on each country’s governmental and political makeup.
Provides timely, thorough, and accurate political information coverage of current political controversies.
Europa World Plus This link opens in a new window
Covers political and economic information in more than 250 countries and territories.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Data, statistics, and maps focused on the U.S. and U.S. policy and social issues. This is a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) tool for visualizing large amounts of data.
With easy-to-use menus, PolicyMap is a “GIS tool for non-GIS experts” for those who need to visualize large amounts of data quickly and easily, often down to the census tract or block group level. It is used in the social sciences, urban studies and regional planning, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic development, public administration and policy, public health, political science, education, environmental studies, business and finance, economics, statistics and geography, among other areas. Included in the tool is access to PolicyMap’s extensive data collection, with 15,000+ indicators used to understand communities, organized into general categories including demographics, income and spending, housing, lending activity, quality of life, economy, education, health, federal guidelines, and other analysis. In addition, students and faculty can easily upload and incorporate their data into and leverage it against the thousands of indicators already available in PolicyMap.