There are a number of reasons why data may not be available for some indicators for all countries and years. Some indicators are derived from sporadic surveys and are only available every few years. Some data sets or indicators are only available from the year they were initiated. For example, Account Ownership indicators from the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusion database start in 2011 and new data are collected approximately every three years. Some countries do not regularly report data due to conflict, lack of statistical capacity, or other reasons (e.g. Somalia, North Korea, and some Caribbean and Pacific island economies). In addition, some countries do not have data for earlier years simply because they did not exist (e.g. countries of the former Soviet Union, South Sudan, Eritrea, Timor-Leste). These are some general reasons for missing data, and we will be happy to answer your questions about specific indicators or countries.

Moreover, most of our data cover countries that have a population of 30,000 or more, or that are World Bank members. Smaller economies that are World Bank members and whose populations range between 30,000 and 1 million are included in the database.