Governments publish large amounts of open data: census results, economic statistics, transport, health, environment and spending.
Where to Find It
- National and local open data portals.
- Statistical agencies.
- International organisations publishing cross-country statistics.
- Research repositories.
Strengths
- Often authoritative and well documented.
- Free to use, usually under open licences.
- Long time series.
Quirks
- Definitions and methods change over time; check for breaks in series.
- Geographic boundaries change.
- Release lags — data may be months or years old.
- Revisions to earlier figures.
- Inconsistent formats between agencies.
Good Practice
- Read the metadata and methodology notes.
- Record the version and download date.
- Cite sources and follow licence attribution requirements.
- Check whether aggregated data is suitable for your question; small-area data may be suppressed for privacy.
APIs
Many portals offer APIs, making it easier to keep data current.