World Bank Data Help Desk

Welcome to the World Bank's Data Help Desk. The Help Desk is here to answer your questions about data from the World Bank and encourage a dialogue about how we can improve them.

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Knowledge Base

  1. Country Classification →

    1. World Bank Country and Lending Groups
    2. How does the World Bank classify countries?
    3. How are the income group thresholds determined?
    4. Why use GNI per capita to classify economies into income groupings?
    5. What is the SDR deflator?

  2. Currencies →

    1. What are the conversion rates from European Monetary Union (EMU) currencies to Euros?
    2. What is an “international dollar”?
    3. What is the difference between current and constant data?
    4. What is your constant U.S. dollar methodology?

  3. Data Compilation Methodology →

    1. Methodologies
    2. How are aggregate growth rates computed for National Accounts series?
    3. How do you derive your constant price series for the national accounts?
    4. How can I rescale a series to a different base year?
    5. What is the DEC conversion factor?

  4. Data Not Available →

    1. Why are some data not available?
    2. Do you have global income distribution data?
    3. Do you have any data on wealth?
    4. Do you have data for informal sectors?
    5. Why is there no poverty data for every country every year?

  5. Data Updates →

    1. Data Updates and Errata
    2. Do you have more recent data than I currently find on your website?
    3. Do you have quarterly, monthly or higher frequency data?

  6. DataBank →

    1. How do I start in DataBank?
    2. How do I select countries in DataBank?
    3. How do I view country and Indicator notes/metadata in DataBank?
    4. How do I select indicators in DataBank?
    5. How do I edit the list of Countries, Indicators and Years I have selected in DataBank?

  7. Developer Information →

    1. Developer Information: Overview
    2. API: Documentation
    3. API: Basic Call Structure
    4. API: Catalog Source Queries
    5. API: Country Queries

  8. External Debt →

    1. What is External Debt?
    2. What is the External Debt Reporting System (DRS)?
    3. What are Stock Figures?
    4. What is Net Flow?
    5. What is the difference between "External debt stocks" and "Gross External Debt Position"?

  9. Finance/Lending →

    1. Do you have data on World Bank interest rates by country?

  10. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) →

    1. What is the difference between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) net inflows and net outflows?
    2. Is foreign direct investment (FDI) included in gross fixed capital formation?

  11. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/Gross National Income (GNI) →

    1. Do you have Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts?
    2. How do you calculate total value added as a percentage of gross domestic product?
    3. Why can’t I find estimates of Gross National Product (GNP)?
    4. Why do countries revise their national accounts?

  12. ICP/PPPs →

    1. How do you extrapolate the PPP conversion factors estimated by the ICP?

  13. International Comparison Program (ICP) →

    1. Why are some series shown in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms?
    2. What is the difference between purchaser prices, producer prices (VAP), and basic prices (VAB)?

  14. Microdata →

    1. What do we mean by microdata?
    2. How can I contribute to improving the Microdata Library?
    3. I need a dataset which is not listed in your microdata catalog, but which has been used in World Bank publications. Can you help me obtain these data?
    4. What are the research outputs associated with a dataset in your Library? Do you have a bibliography of data-related citations?
    5. Can you help with analyzing microdata?

  15. Open Data Training  →

    1. Open Data Training Modules

  16. Other →

    1. How does the World Bank code its indicators?
    2. How can I keep up to date with updates, additions, and revisions?
    3. What are emerging markets?
    4. What is the difference between trade indicators derived from the Balance of Payments and trade data from COMTRADE?

  17. Poverty Data →

    1. Why did the World Bank decide to update the International Poverty Line?
    2. What is the $1.90 poverty line, and based on this new measure, how many people are living in extreme poverty in the world?
    3. How is the global poverty line derived? How is it different from national poverty lines?
    4. Should I use national or international poverty lines?
    5. Why raise the poverty line to $1.90 a day? What was wrong with the $1.25 a day line that we are all used to?

  18. Private Sector (IFC) →

    1. Where can I find data on the private sector and privatization?

  19. Quarterly External Debt Statistics (QEDS) →

    1. Do you have quarterly external debt data?
    2. How often is the Quarterly External Debt Data Updated?
    3. Which countries have reported data to Quarterly External Debt Statistics (GDDS) ?
    4. Which countries subscribe to Quarterly External Debt Statistics (QEDS) SDDS?
    5. Which countries subscribe to Quarterly External Debt Statistics (QEDS) GDDS?

  20. Quarterly Public Sector Debt →

    1. Which countries have reported data to Quarterly Public Sector Debt database?
    2. How often is the Quarterly Public Sector Debt data updated?

  21. Subnational Data →

    1. What is the Subnational Population Database?
    2. What are the sources for the subnational population data?
    3. What is the estimation period for the Subnational Population Database?
    4. What are the methodologies used in estimating the subnational population data?
    5. How are the first-level administrative division used in the Subnational Population Database?

  22. World Development Indicators (WDI) →

    1. How do I access World Development Indicators (WDI) online tables?
    2. Do you have data on population projections?
    3. Where can I find data on literacy rates for high-income countries?
    4. How can gross school enrollment ratios be over 100 percent?
    5. How do you define remittances?

  23. World Development Report (WDR) →

    1. Where can I find the data annex tables of the World Development Report?

  24. All articles →

    1. Do you have quarterly external debt data?
    2. Do you have Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts?
    3. Where can I find the data annex tables of the World Development Report?
    4. Why are some series shown in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms?
    5. What is the difference between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) net inflows and net outflows?
    134 articles →

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