Health Data Resources: International



Web Based and HOLLIS Data Resources

United Nations: Statistics Division
This United Nations (UN) website provides basic health data including life expectancy, infant mortality rates and child mortality rates for over 100 countries worldwide.

United Nations: UN Data Access System
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has a new internet based data service for the global user community.  It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.  Topics included are agriculture, education, employment, energy, environment, health, industry, national accounts, population, trade and tourism.

United Nations: Human Development Report
This website provides the full-text of these reports from 1990-present. These thematic reports focus on issues ranging from health to education to globalization to human rights. The site also provides a link to the Human Development Indicators database.

World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) website publishes health data relating to burden of disease statistics, health personnel, mortality and population. This site also provides PDF copies of the statistical annex to the World Health Report.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
PAHO is the regional office for the America’s for the World Health Organization. The data available on this site includes the Atlas of Inequities, Basic Health Indicators, Core Health Data, Country Health Profiles and Trends and Situations.

World Bank
The World Bank produces many different publications relating to health and health care. A few of publications include:

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (HOLLIS E-resource)
The OECD publishes several health resources including annual and periodical titles that are country and/or subject specific, factbooks that are subject specific and working papers that all hold data. The OECD Health Data resource (which was in CD-ROM format only) is now available through SourceOECD as an interactive resource, but can also be downloaded onto a user’s desktop. The Health Data resource provides data on health status, health care resources and utilization, expenditure and financing in the health care industry, as well as data on the pharmaceutical industry and non-medical determinants of health.

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The main UNICEF website publishes health-related data in the form of country tables. You may also search by indicator.

UNICEF: Monitoring the Situation of Children and Women
This UNICEF website publishes child health, nutrition and survival data, and maternal health data. The can be searched by subject, indicator or keyword search.

USAid
USAid is an independent federal government agency that collects and publishes data related to global health, economics, agriculture and trade. Global health topics include child survival, HIV/AIDS, Infectious diseases, nutrition and maternal health, and population. The information on this site is mainly text, with some health data available.

Global Health
The US Department of Health and Human Services publishes this website. Data resources include country information, world health statistics, and fact sheets.

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Micro-level Data Resources

IQSS Dataverse Network
The IQSS Dataverse Network maintains over 1,200 health-related data sets. The site is searchable by keyword, title, author and study number. The data codebooks and data sets for most of the studies are freely available for members of the Harvard and MIT communities.

Health and Medical Care Archive
The Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA) published by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This data archive collects data published by researchers from academic, public and private sectors. Subjects include Health Care Providers, Access to and Cost of Health Care, Substance Abuse and Health, and Chronic Health Conditions. The data is available to ICPSR members only (Harvard is a member).

China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS)
Designed to examine the effects of the health, nutrition, and family planning policies and programs implemented by national and local governments and to see how the social and economic transformation of Chinese society is affecting the health and nutritional status of its population. The impact on nutrition and health behaviors and outcomes is gauged by changes in community organizations and programs as well as by changes in sets of household and individual economic, demographic, and social factors.  Data is available for seven survey years: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006.

Demographic and Health Surveys
DHS assists developing countries worldwide in the collection and use of data to monitor and evaluate population, health, and nutrition programs. Demographic and Health Surveys provide national and sub-national data on family planning, maternal and child health, child survival, HIV/AIDS/sexually transmitted infections (STIs), infectious diseases, reproductive health and nutrition. Surveys have been conducted in 38 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, 7 countries in North Africa/West Asia/Europe, 4 countries in Central Asia, 10 countries in South and Southeast Asia, and 15 countries in Latin America and the Carribean. Microdata is available free of charge by request.

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CD-ROM Data Resources

The following CD-ROM is available through the Harvard Libraries.

United Nations Women's Indicators and Statistics Database

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Print Data Resources

Comparison of Health Expenditure in OECD Countries (OECD)

European Health Report

Health at a Glance (OECD)

International Health Care Systems

International Health Data Reference Guide

Measuring Health Care, 1960-1983: expenditure, costs and performance (OECD)

National Health Expenditures in Canada


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Page Last Reviewed: July 27, 2009