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Country API Queries

Requesting Country Data

To list all countries: http://api.worldbank.org/v2/country

The following information will appear, when available, in the response when using this country query through the World Bank API:

  • 3 letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code
  • 2 letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code
  • Name
  • Region: ID, name and World Bank 2 letter code
  • Income Level: ID, name and World Bank 2 letter code
  • Lending Type: ID, name and World Bank 2 letter code
  • Capital City
  • Longitude
  • Latitude

Sample Request Format: Country Query

For XML format: http://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/br

For JSON format: http://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/br?format=json

Note: “br” is the two-letter ISO code for Brazil.

Sample Response Format: Country Query

  • XML:

http://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/br

<wb:countries xmlns:wb="http://www.worldbank.org" page="1" pages="1" per_page="50" total="1">
  <wb:country id="BRA">
    <wb:iso2Code>BR</wb:iso2Code>
    <wb:name>Brazil</wb:name>
    <wb:region id="LCN" iso2code="ZJ">Latin America & Caribbean (all income levels)</wb:region>
    <wb:adminregion id="LAC" iso2code="XJ">Latin America & Caribbean (developing only)</wb:adminregion>
    <wb:incomeLevel id="UMC" iso2code="XT">Upper middle income</wb:incomeLevel>
    <wb:lendingType id="IBD" iso2code="XF">IBRD</wb:lendingType>
    <wb:capitalCity>Brasilia</wb:capitalCity>
    <wb:longitude>-47.9292</wb:longitude>
    <wb:latitude>-15.7801</wb:latitude>
  </wb:country>
</wb:countries>
[
  {
    "page": 1,
    "pages": 1,
    "per_page": "50",
    "total": 1
    },
    [
      {
        "id": "BRA",
        "iso2Code": "BR",
        "name": "Brazil",
        "region": {
          "id": "LCN",
          "iso2code": "ZJ",
          "value": "Latin America & Caribbean (all income levels)"
        },
        "adminregion": {
          "id": "LAC",
          "iso2code": "XJ",
          "value": "Latin America & Caribbean (developing only)"
        },
        "incomeLevel": {
          "id": "UMC",
          "iso2code": "XT",
          "value": "Upper middle income"
        },
        "lendingType": {
          "id": "IBD",
          "iso2code": "XF",
          "value": "IBRD"
        },
        "capitalCity": "Brasilia",
        "longitude": "-47.9292",
        "latitude": "-15.7801"
      }
    ]
  ]

Note: The API returns ISO 3 and ISO 2 codes wherever present. If ISO codes are not available, it returns WB 3 and WB 2 codes. For example, Channel Islands return WB 3 code CHI and WB2 code JG.

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