Below is a listing of some of the many international and US organizations included in Data Planet that collect and disseminate statistical data relevant to sociocultural anthropology. Use the Browse by Source option in Data Planet to review the datasets available from these organizations.
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau is a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The major functions of the Census Bureau are authorized by Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, which provides that a census of population shall be taken every 10 years, and by Title 13 and Title 26 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. The Census Bureau is responsible for numerous statistical programs, including census and surveys of households, that provide information relevant to investigation of the social and cultural behaviors of the population, marriage and family structures, and much, much more.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the United States Department of Labor is the principal fact-finding agency for the federal government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the US Congress, other federal agencies, state and local governments, business, and labor. Data available from BLS supports investigation of economic structures in the U.S. and local communities, how labor patterns vary by gender and race/ethnicity, etc.
World Bank Founded in 1944 as a result of the Bretton Woods Conference, the World Bank is an independent specialized agency of the United Nations that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries in order to foster economic growth and reduce poverty.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Established in 1961, when 18 European countries plus the United States and Canada joined together to create an organization dedicated to global development, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) today includes 34 member countries from around the globe, ranging from North and South America to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Member countries include many of the world’s advanced countries as well as emerging nations. The OECD collects and analyzes data on a broad range of topics to help governments foster prosperity and fight poverty through economic growth and financial stability, at the same time taking the environmental implications of economic and social development into account.
United Nations The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 after WWII by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. The UN has 4 main purposes: to keep peace throughout the world; to develop friendly relations among nations; to help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms; and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.
China Data Institute China Data Institute is a nonprofit organization for China data development, applications, consulting and training. One of its primary goals is to promote international partnerships for China data development and applications. Its missions are: to support research in the human and natural components of local, regional and global change; to promote quantitative research on China; to promote collaborative research in spatial studies; and to promote the use and sharing of China data in teaching and research. The institute is partnering with All China Marketing Research Co., Ltd., as well as other organizations in distributing China statistical data and publications internationally.
The World Bank provides broad and open access to a comprehensive set of internationally comparable national-level data on development and conditions of people’s lives in nations around the world, as an aid to policymakers and researchers.
The links provided here a small subsample of the over 1,000 indicators covering 213 economies in the World Development Indicators (WDI) database. Data include indicators of education, environment, economic, financial, infrastructure, health, labor and social protection, poverty, private sector and trade, and public sector development of the world's nations.
Sample education-related indicators:
This DataSheet compares the trend in Adjusted net enrollment rate of males and females (as % of primary school age children) in Ecuador
This DataSheet presents a heat map of nations based on secondary education duration
This DataSheet provides a trend of the ratio of female to male tertiary enrollment.
Here we compare the trend in the literacy rate of adults in four former Soviet Socialist republics.
Other indicators in the WDI relate to socioeconomic conditions. Explore possible relationships among education and other statistics.
Economic Policy and Debt - Shows the current account balance of Bangladesh as percentage of GDP.
Environment - Presents a heat map of the world's nations by the percentage of the population living in urban areas of over one million population.
Financial Sector - Compares ratio of bank assets to capital in four Scandinavian nations.
Private Sector and Trade - Presents a ranking of nations by food exports as a percentage of all merchandise exports.
Public Sector - Shows a heat map of the world's nations by military expenditures as % of GDP.
To identify datasets of interest, use the the left-hand navigation of the Data Planet Statistical Datasets interface to browse datasets by subject, source, or geographic entity of interest:
Use Search to locate datasets of interest. The example below uses searches on the keywords "family structure":
The view of search results identifies sources of interest in the filters on the left. Here, we've limited to a specific dataset the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Picture of Subsidized Households dataset:
Clicking on a search result takes you directly into the indicator:
Create trends and charts to explore statistics of interest by and across nations. For example, the chart below compares the percentage of the population attaining doctoral-level or equivalent education across 15 nations.
For more information on searching Data Planet Statistical Datasets, click here.