Historicalstatistics.org
The world
This page presents international historical data, mainly external links.
External links:
AHDS
History
AHDS History collects, preserves and promotes the use of digital resources. Access is free but requires
registration.
Bureau
of Economic Analysis
Presents historical series mainly of GDP, balance of payment, prices, profit and
fixed assets for USA, but also for other countries.
Current World Population (Ibiblio)
Data
hub "Heights and Biological Standard of Living"
The International Economic History Association has taken the initiative to set
up a network of scholars working with data on heights and the biological
standard of living and establish a moderated list of datafiles of historical
heights.
EH.net
(European Economic History Services)
Supported by Economic History Association, and contains economic-historical data
for various countries, mainly Britain and USA, for example gold prices
1257-2001, global financial data 1880-1913, interest rates in USA and UK 1790-2001, the purchasing power of the British pound 1264-2004,
the purchasing power of the US dollar 1665-2003, and the exchange rate between
dollar and pound 1791-2004.
European Central Bank (Statistics)
European
State Finance Database
An international project that publishes data on European state finances (including
interest rates) from the Middle Ages to the present.
FXConverter
- 164 Currency Converter
Presents daily exchange rates from 1990 onwards.
Global
Financial Data
Presents historical financial data (eg exchange rates, stock prices and interest
rates) for over 200 countries, some of the series back to the 17th century. The
data is not free, and a personal subscription
costs 8000 dollars. However, the description of the sources is free.
Global
Price and Income History Group
Publishes historical data on prices and incomes for the period before 1950, for
example, you prices in Wroclaw 1507-1618, Copenhagen 1712-1800, Chile 1631-1830,
Sydney 1850-1983 and Sweden 1732-1874.
Groningen
Growth and Development Centre (Data Series)
Very informative data site presenting Dutch historical statistics,
but also international data.
Historical
Census Browser (University of Virginia Library)
Presents data on American census from 1790 to 1960.
Historical
Estimates of World Population
The World Population from 10000 BC to 1950 AD according to
different estimates.
IMF - World Economic Outlook Databases
International
Institute of Social History (Prices and Wages)
Presents historical data on prices and wages for a number of countries, for
example, wheat prices in Babylonia 385 BC - 61 BC, wheat prices in Tuscany
1260-1860, prices and wages in Istanbul 1469-1914, and prices and wages in
Stockholm 1539-1620.
IPUMS
(Integrated Public Use Microdata Series) International
The international counterpart to IPUMS. Presents population census data for a number of
countries. Free, but requires registration..
Laborsta
internet (International Labour Office database on labour statistics)
The database of International Labour Office (ILO). Presents data on unemployment,
employment, worked hours, wages, consumer price indices, work accidents, strikes
and lockout from the late 1960s to the present.
MEMBD
- Medieval and Early Modern Databank
The ambition of this site is to cover the whole period 800-1815 AD. Presents
historical data on prices and exchange rates.
National
Agricultural Statistics Service (Historical Data)
Presents agricultural statistics on USA and Puerto Rico.
OECD
OECD publishes statistical data on the OECD countries. However, most data series
don't cover the period before 1970.
Oxford
Latin American Historical Database
Contains statistical series for a wide range of social and
economic indicators for a number of Latin American countries, covering the
period 1900-2000.
Pacific
Exchange Rate Service
Presents exchange rates from 1948 onwards.
Penn
World Tables
Presents data on population, GDP, GDP per capita, price levels, investment
shares, consumption shares and savings for 168 countries covering the period
1950-2000. No data is presented for the period before 1950.
PD
Dr. Oliver Volckarten homepage
Presents data on exchange rates, silver prices and monatetary standards in a
number of European places in the 14th to 16th centuries.
Political
Database of the Americas
Historical data, eg on elections, in Americas.
Richard
Unger (University of British Columbia) - Medieval and Early Economic History
Presents data on grain prices (click here)
for the period 1260-1914 and beer prices (klick here)
from the 14th to the 19th centuries.
Statistical
Yearbooks of the League of Nations
This page contains the Yearbook of the League of Nations 1926-1944.
Steel
statistic archive (worldsteel.org)
Presents monthly data on steel production in various countries from 1980 onwards.
The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Development (tables)
The
Marteau Early 18th-Century Currency Converter
Converts the currency of one country to the currency of another country for the
early 18th century.
Time
Series Data Library
This site presents over 800 times series covering different areas, eg
population, production, crime, sales and tree rings.
United
Nations (Statistical Databases)
Presents various data for countries of the world from the 1960s
onwards.
USITC
(United States International Trade Commission) Interactive Tariff and Trade
DataWeb
Provides international trade statistics and U.S. tariff data for years 1989-
present.
Various
Data of Asian Historical Statistics Project
Historical data on Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Wages,
Prices & Living Standards: The World Historical Perspective
Presents data on silver wages, real wages and consumer price indices in various
European cities covering the period 1260-1913.
World
Bank
(Quick query)
Very informative database. For the period 1960 onwards, you can get data for the
countries of the world on, for example, interest rates, the number of tractors,
arms export, cereal production, CO2 emissions, crime, electricity production,
export, GDP, interest rates, literacy, mortality rate, patent applications,
school enrollment, taxes and unemployment. It is also possible to get aggregated
data for the world as a whole.
World GDP and population 1000000 BC-2000 AD (Kremer data)
World
Population, GDP and Per Capita GDP, 1-2001 AD (Angus Maddison)
Contains economic data on population, GDP and GDP per capita for a number of
countries from 1 to 2001 AD. However, Maddison's figures on Swedish GDP and GDP
per capita for the period prior to the First World War are based on series that
are outdated and have been shown to give exaggerated figures of the GDP per
capita in Sweden during the 19th century.
Yahoo
Finance
Presents historical stock prices from 1960s onwards. This is a link to the price
of General Electric Co. To get other stock prices you need the ticker symbol,
which is available here.
Links to links:
Central
bank websites
Links to central banks of the world.
Global Edge - Statistical Data Sources
Historical Statistics - Research Guide
International Institute of Social History (Prices and Wages)
Macroeconomic
Time Series Data Source Locator
A very useful interactive resource. Write period (from 1688 onwards), region and
type of time series (eg national accounts, interest rates, employment/unemployment,
money supply, population or exchange rates) and get literature or web site where
this of information is available.
OFFSTATS - Official Statistics on the Web
Statistics Sweden - Links to statistical sources around the world
Virtual Library Economic and Business History
Literature:
Maddison, A., 1991: Dynamic Forces in Capitalist Development: A Long-Run Comparative View. Oxford University Press; New York.
Maddison, A., 1995: Monitoring the World Economy 1820-1992. OECD; Paris.
Maddison, A., 2001: The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective. OECD; Paris.
Maddison, A., 2003: The World Economy: Historical Statistics. OECD; Paris.