Data and Statistics


Guide to useful databases with education data, reports and analysis tools including resources from UNESCO, EPDC, ELDIS and others*


EFAInfo 2.0 Asia and Pacific: www.devinfo.info/efainfo

UNICEF EAPRO, UNESCO and other partners in education developed and launched EFAInfo 2.0, a user-friendly, DevInfo-based education database, designed as a tool to support the compilation, dissemination, analysis and presentation of key education data on those population groups most in need of access to quality education across the Asia and Pacific Region. Through EFAInfo, users can access:

  • Interrnationally comparable education indicators published for regional, cross-country comparisons;
  • National and sub-national data indicating achievements and gaps in achievement of EFA;
  • Regional, country and sub-national maps for powerful and compelling presentations.

Users have access to regional and national indicators disaggregated by age and sex, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Where data is available, it also probes provincial and district-level settings, providing evidence for effective response to achieving Education for All. In addition, online users have access to a range of development-related database, searchable by key words on issues such as education, poverty, the MDGs and other topics. The database also contains a gallery of presentation-ready visuals, providing an overview of the status of each of the six goals of EFA across the region.


The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS): www.uis.unesco.org

UIS serves as:

  • the principal collector of internationally comparable education statistics from early childhood to higher education for all countries (collaborating with OECD on industrial countries)
  • a primary collector of literacy data (via LAMPS surveys), and
  • as an important public website for this information.


UIS collects education data directly using surveys that are sent to national ministries as well as data from household surveys and censuses. The data are available mainly via its Data Centre, which provides a wide number of indicators and underlying data for the years 1991 and 1997-2007, including specific breakdown by level of education - such as disaggregations within secondary and specific tertiary programs. Data are updated three times a year (December, April, September) and regularly revised to reflect new information. Elsewhere on the website, historical data from 1990-1997 are available, as well as access to the primary data (school surveys), data on ICT's in education and other education-related data. One of the site's special features, Global Rankings, presents the recent values for literacy, enrollment, and expenditure indicators by country within eight world regions. The UIS site is particularly useful for access to data that is comparable across countries for various school levels and offers tools to show a country's progress relative to its neighbors.


Global Education Digest: www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/ged/2008

The UIS 2008 Digest presents the latest available data for more than 200 countries and territories. A wider range of indicators have been incorporated, particularly data collected through the World Education Indicators (WEI) programme. The Digest presents a new set of historical time series data, which has never before been published. The data set includes 15 indicators essential to tracking long- term progress from 1970 to 2006 (a wider range of historical data is available on the UIS website). This release is part of a major UIS initiative to improve the availability of trend data, which are instrumental for monitoring long-term progress globally as well as identifying the advances and setbacks of individual countries.


The World Bank’s Ed Stats: www.worldbank.org/education/edstats

The World Bank’s Ed Stats has data from UIS, household surveys, ILO, UNICEF, Barro-Lee, and ITU World Telecommunication. Its database includes a significant amount of historical data, mainly UIS statistics from 1970-1997. The data query system is easy to navigate and offers aggregate indicator values for 16 country groups, including world regions and income level groups. EdStats features several series of World Bank education information, including various country profiles, household survey databases, and publications. The organization has developed useful online features to create maps and graphs that draw on the strength of its query interface. Users can generate their own graphs and maps in the data query after selecting a combination of countries, indicators, and years, zoom in on the area of the world of interest, and download the map image for use in reports or presentations. There are also pre-produced global maps of selected indicators available. EdStat’s data is particularly valuable to professionals seeking to put current country performance into both historical and regional context.


The Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report (GMR) Database: www.efareport.unesco.org

The EFA GMR database, found on the GMR website, pulls together the education and education-relevant data used in the publication of its annual report. In addition to up-to-date indicators provided by the UIS, the database also includes information from other UN sources such as the UNDP and WHO. Much of this database is geared towards the monitoring of the six Education for All goals. Of note, the GMR site includes a collection of national Early Childhood Care and Education profiles, data on measures of the Literate Environment, and a broad range of analytical papers and case studies commissioned by the GMR team, many of which report national trends and sub-national patterns in education. The 2009 GMR website will also include an interactive mapping feature.


The Education Policy and Data Center (EPDC): www.epdc.org

The EPDC houses the most varied database, with national and sub-national data from UIS, World Bank, UNICEF, over 400 household surveys, and 80+ national sources (national statistical offices and ministries of education), as well as education projections for over 200 countries. Where available, indicators are collected by sub-national region and pupil background – wealth, education of mother, ethnic group, urban or rural residence. The EPDC has developed a specific database structure to house this disaggregated data and to allow users to query the data and filter it to their own focus. The site specializes in the visual presentation of data, featured in Search the Maps, Search the Graphs, and the Profile Explorer. These features allow users to query countries and choose from many ready made graphs and maps to produce customized reports in common formats such as .pdf, .jpg and .xls. The site offers valuable resources for users who need sub-national data, who need to compare data from different sources, and who are looking for visual presentation material.


EPDC Country-specific education database: www.epdc.org/search.aspx

This EPDC database is a comprehensive collection of data relevant to education from multiple sources with information at the sub-national level for many countries. Its purpose is to facilitate the use of data by making it readily available and easy to present. The database is comprised of data from more than 200 sources and the data is of varying quality and varying comparability. The EPDC does not alter the data in any way. Users should exercise their expert judgement when selecting the data. The EPDC currently has sub-national data for more than 100 countries.


EPDC Graphs: www.epdc.org/reports/countryprofile

EPDC graphs provide a way to visualize education data for a country or groups of countries. They include sub-national data, maps, trend analysis and projections on education as well as links to health and the economy. To download pre-produced country profiles, you can visit Profile Explorer, which allows the user to customize their own country profiles, choosing multiple countries and combining several charts and graphs to fit their own needs.




EPDC Maps: www.epdc.org/maps

The global, continent-wide or country-specific education maps provide a visual presentation of education indicators. High-quality maps are available for download. These maps were produced by the EPDC using data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, World Development Indicators, household surveys, and Barro and Lee's International Data on Educational Attainment.



The United Nations Statistics Division: www.unstats.un.org/unsd

The UN Stats Division compiles and disseminates global statistical information, develops standards and norms for statistical activities, and supports countries’ efforts to strengthen their national statistical systems. They collect data on literacy, educational attainment and school attendance from national statistical offices around the world and disseminate them in tabular form in special issues of the United Nations Demographic Yearbook. These official statistics provided by countries are derived from population censuses. In addition, the Statistics Division compiles and makes available online some statistics and indicators on illiteracy and education, derived from both population censuses and administrative systems, through its Social Indicators website and Statistics and indicators on women and men website. International statistics on learning and education derived from administrative systems are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from national education ministries: www.unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/education


The UNESCO/OECD/EUROSTAT (UOE) database: www.oecd.org/education/database

The UOE database on education statistics is compiled on the basis of national administrative sources, reported by Ministries of Education or National Statistical offices according to international standards, definitions and classifications. The collected annual data cover the outputs of educational institutions, the policy levers that shape educational outputs, the human and financial resources invested in education, structural characteristics of education systems, and the economic and social outcomes of education. The main purpose of this database is to produce and publish indicators and analysis on the operation, evolution and impact of education, from early childhood through formal education to learning and training throughout life.


Reliefweb Topic and Thematic Documents on Education: www.ocha-gwapps1.unog

ReliefWeb, administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is the world’s leading on-line gateway to information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. It contains a section on Topics & Thematic Documents of global importance to humanitarian professionals, with a collection of documents concerning education in the context of humanitarian emergencies. Within the collection, users can search by date, source, themes, and document type.


Right to Education Database: www.right-to-education.org

The Right to Education Project aims to promote social mobilisation and legal accountability, focusing on the legal challenges to the right to education. Housed by ActionAid International, and in partnership with the Global Campaign for Education and Amnesty International, the Right to Education Project website contains a database whereby you can search the relevant articles on education in each country’s constitution as well as relevant national law and policies on fees or free (is school free in your country); national law and policies on minimum ages (does your country protect its children); UN Conventions (has your country ratified or made reservations); UN Reporting (finding all UN documents and reports on your country); UN Universal Periodic Review (when is your country up for review); UNESCO (has your country ratified UNESCO’s conventions); ILO conventions (has your country ratified); and regional conventions (status of ratification and can you take a complaint). Moreover, there are comparative tables that allow for an overview at a regional and international level highlighting trends or systematic violation of education rights.


SACMEQ - Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality: www.sacmeq.org

SACMEQ's mission is to assist educational planners and researchers to undertake studies of the quality of their education systems by working in a co-operative manner that allows them to share their experiences and to learn from each other. SACMEQ data is available on the StatPlanet website, an interactive data visualization with maps and graphs, which includes demographic, education, health and socio-economic indicators. Education indicators (e.g. enrollment rates, reading, math and science achievement, school resources) are taken from the SACMEQ (Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality), UIS, and PISA (OECD Programme for International Student Assessment).


ELDIS Children and young people country profiles: www.eldis.org

This database allows you to search the ELDIS and British Library for Development Studies (BLDS) databases by country for the latest reports on children and youth, including with regard to education. It gives you quick access to the latest reports on children and young people arranged by region and country.


*In collecting and disseminating this information, we’d like to acknowledge the work carried out by the Education Policy and Data Center in its brief on Global Education Data: Where to Find National and Sub-national Education Statistics (2008): http://epdc.org/static/GlobalEducationData.pdf. This report provides a guide to the online data and resources of five organizations that gather and disseminate education statistics -- UIS, EdStats, GMR, EPDC, and OECD.