The World Bank has launched a new Subnational Population Database covering 1,350 provincial, state and regional sub-state units worldwide. The database can be used for research on population distribution, development, intra-regional migration and urbanisation. The Subnational Population Database contains time series “population estimates for 75 countries… from 2000 to 2014, and includes the total population numbers for each area and the shares relative to total national population estimates.” The World Bank provides this caution: “In constructing this dataset, one of the biggest challenges is handling the changing subnational boundaries. As a result, some subnational population estimates might not reflect the current first level administrative unit framework. The World Bank describe this database as a ‘work-in-progress’ and continue to incorporate more and better data as they become available.” Access the database via the left menu > World Bank > Subnational Population Database via this page.

The World Bank has relaunched its major international debt database as International Debt Statistics. Formerly known as Global Development Finance, the new database provides statistics on the external debts of 128 countries in the World Bank’s Debtor reporting System. IDS combines observations from the World Bank’s ‘Quarterly External Debt Statistics’ and ‘Quarterly Public Sector Debt’ publications. For details, visit this EUI Library page. A presentation of IDS, and other macro data resources, takes place in the Library training room at 13:30 on Tuesday, 19 March.

The World Bank launched the new Open Data Initiative during the International Open Government Data Conference, 10-12 July.

World Bank Open Data is explained on this EUI Library page. EUI users also have access to CD-rom versions of World Development Indicators (DJ-AA WORLD) and Global Development Finance (DJ-FD-GLOBAL).

The new portal provides access to major international economic and development statistics including: World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, Millennium Development Indicators, the Doing Business database, Education Statistics and Gender Statistics.