Substrate/Data/sources/DS-00003—World_Bank_Open_Data/source.md

World Bank Open Data

Source ID: DS-00003 Record Created: 2025-10-25 Last Updated: 2025-10-25 Cataloger: DM-001 Review Status: Reviewed

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Bibliographic Information

Title Statement

• Main Title: World Bank Open Data Portal
• Subtitle: Free and Open Access to Global Development Data
• Abbreviated Title: World Bank Data
• Variant Titles: WB Open Data, World Bank Indicators, WDI

Responsibility Statement

• Publisher/Issuing Body: The World Bank Group
• Department/Division: Development Data Group
• Contact Information: data@worldbank.org

Publication Information

• Place of Publication: Washington, D.C., United States
• Date of First Publication: 2010
• Publication Frequency: Continuous (API), Quarterly major updates
• Current Status: Active

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Authority Statement

Organizational Authority

Issuing Organization Analysis:

• Official Name: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
• Type: International Financial Institution
• Established: 1944 (Bretton Woods Conference)
• Mandate: Reduce poverty, promote shared prosperity through development financing and knowledge
• Parent Organization: World Bank Group
• Governance Structure: 189 member countries, Board of Governors

Domain Authority:

• Subject Expertise: 75+ years of development economics expertise
• Recognition: Premier development data authority
• Publication History: World Development Indicators (1978-present), numerous statistical publications
• Peer Recognition: Primary source for development banks, UN agencies, researchers

Quality Oversight:

• Peer Review: Development Data Group maintains quality standards
• Editorial Board: Chief Statistician oversight
• Certification: SDMX compliant, statistical best practices

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Scope Note

Content Description

Subject Coverage:

• Primary Subjects: Development Economics, Poverty, Economic Growth, Infrastructure
• Keywords: development indicators, poverty statistics, economic data, infrastructure, governance

Geographic Coverage:

• Spatial Scope: Global (World Bank client countries + high-income)
• Countries Included: 189 member countries
• Granularity: National (some subnational for select indicators)
• Completeness: 80-95% for core economic indicators

Temporal Coverage:

• Start Date: 1960 for many economic indicators
• End Date: Present (most recent: 2022-2023)
• Historical Depth: 50+ years for key indicators
• Frequency: Annual (most indicators)

Variables/Indicators:

• Number: 1400+ indicators across 21 topic areas
• Core Indicators: GDP, poverty rates, trade, debt, education, health expenditure
• Topics: Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Infrastructure, Poverty, etc.

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Access Conditions

Technical Access

API Information:

• Endpoint URL: https://api.worldbank.org/v2/
• API Type: REST
• API Version: v2
• Documentation: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/889392

Authentication:

• Required: No (public API)
• Type: None

Rate Limits:

• Requests/Second: Recommended 10/sec
• Daily Limit: None specified
• Fair use policy: Expected

Data Formats:

• Available: JSON, XML
• Bulk Download: Yes (CSV, Excel)

Reliability:

• Uptime: 99%+
• Latency: <1s typical
• Stability: Very stable (v2 since 2011)

Legal/Policy Access

License:

• Type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
• URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Usage Rights:

• Redistribution: Yes, with attribution
• Commercial Use: Yes
• Modification: Yes
• Attribution Required: Yes - cite World Bank

Cost:

• Free

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Known Limitations

Coverage Limitations

• Limited subnational data
• Some small countries have gaps
• Historical data varies by indicator

Methodological Limitations

• Relies on national statistical offices (quality varies)
• Estimation models for missing data
• Definitional changes over time

Comparability Limitations

• Cross-country comparability affected by national practices
• PPP adjustments introduce uncertainty
• Time series breaks for some indicators

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Recommended Use Cases

Ideal For:

• Long-term economic trend analysis (1960-present)
• Cross-country development comparisons
• Economic research and modeling
• Poverty and development tracking

Avoid For:

• Real-time economic monitoring
• Subnational analysis
• Non-economic social indicators (use WHO, UNICEF instead)

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Citation

APA 7th: World Bank. (2025). World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org

BibTeX:

@misc{worldbank_data_2025,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {World Bank Open Data},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org},
  note = {Accessed: 2025-10-25}
}

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Related Substrate Entities

Problems:

• PR-84721: Wealth Inequality
• PR-13042: Toxic Water in Poor US Cities (infrastructure indicators)

Solutions:

• Economic development programs
• Poverty reduction initiatives

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END OF SOURCE RECORD