Our World in Data

Our World in Data
Name	Our World in Data
Founded	2011
Founder	Max Roser
Type	Nonprofit research publication
Headquarters	Oxford

Our World in Data is an online publication and research project that presents empirical evidence on global long‑term trends in health, development, environment, and technology. It combines interactive charts, datasets, and explanatory articles to inform public debate and policymaking, attracting attention from academic institutions, media outlets, and international organizations. The project is closely associated with researchers and universities and is widely cited in reports from multilateral agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

Overview

Our World in Data produces data‑driven articles integrating statistics, visualizations, and scholarly synthesis on issues such as poverty, mortality, energy, climate change, and population. The site’s outputs are used by scholars at University of Oxford, analysts at World Bank, journalists at The New York Times, and policymakers at United Nations. Its tools draw on empirical series compiled by teams affiliated with Max Roser, scholars at Institute for New Economic Thinking and collaborators at institutions including Harvard University, London School of Economics, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. The platform’s visualizations have been featured in coverage by outlets such as BBC News, The Guardian, Financial Times, The Economist, and Nature.

History and Development

Founded in 2011 by Max Roser while associated with the University of Oxford’s Global Change research networks, the project expanded through partnerships with research groups at Oxford Martin School, Our World in Data University of Oxford? and collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of Chicago. Early data initiatives built on historical series developed by teams at Maddison Project, Angus Maddison’s collaborators, and global health datasets from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and World Health Organization. The project’s growth paralleled data innovations by organizations such as Gapminder Foundation, Our World... (note: do not use forbidden variants) and engaged scholars associated with Paul Romer, Daron Acemoglu, and Amartya Sen in comparative analyses. Key milestones include the expansion of open datasets, integration with repositories like Harvard Dataverse, and citations in flagship reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and United Nations Development Programme.

Content and Data Methodology

The project curates time series on demographic change, public health, energy systems, and environmental indicators using sources such as World Bank, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Energy Agency, Food and Agriculture Organization, and Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development. Methodological transparency references standards from PRISMA, practices from Open Science Framework, and data documentation aligned with repositories like Zenodo and Figshare. Dataset assembly often incorporates estimates from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation for mortality, reconstructions from the Maddison Project for GDP, and climate records used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scholarly reviewers include academics from Yale University, Columbia University, Princeton University, and University of California, Berkeley who contribute peer commentary and replication code.

Projects and Publications

Our World in Data publishes thematic overviews, policy briefs, and interactive charts that underpin academic articles and media stories. Major thematic pages cover global poverty (drawing on International Monetary Fund and World Bank classifications), infectious disease trends informed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO, energy transitions citing International Renewable Energy Agency and BP Statistical Review, and biodiversity metrics linked to Convention on Biological Diversity datasets. The project’s work appears alongside academic monographs and journals such as Science, The Lancet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and publications from Oxford University Press. Collaborative projects include data visualizations used by European Commission research services and educational resources adopted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Impact and Reception

Outputs have influenced discussions at forums like World Economic Forum, G7 Summit, and UN General Assembly, and are cited in policy papers from OECD and national ministries such as UK Department for International Development and United States Agency for International Development. Scholars in development studies and environmental science reference the site in journals edited by teams at Cambridge University Press and Springer Nature. Media endorsements include features in New York Times, Washington Post, and documentary usage by broadcasters including PBS and Channel 4. Critics have raised questions drawing on methodological debates advanced by researchers at London School of Economics and statisticians at Royal Statistical Society regarding interpolation, uncertainty quantification, and source harmonization.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources include philanthropic support from foundations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, grants from research councils including Economic and Social Research Council and partnerships with academic donors associated with Oxford Martin School. Governance involves academic oversight by affiliated scholars at University of Oxford and advisory contributions from researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of Chicago. Financial and editorial independence are periodically discussed in forums convened by organizations such as Open Knowledge Foundation and Schmidt Science Fellows, with transparency practices compared to standards set by Wellcome Trust and reporting norms of Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Category:Online encyclopedias