Methodology & data sources
Transparency is the core of our E-E-A-T. This page documents exactly where CountryMetric's figures come from, which indicators we use, and the limitations you should keep in mind.
Data source
Every number on this site comes from World Bank Open Data, retrieved from its Indicators API v2 (no API key required). The data is licensed CC BY 4.0, so we are free to republish it with attribution. We credit it as "Source: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0)" on every data page, with the reference year of each value.
| Source | Refresh cadence | License |
|---|---|---|
| World Bank Open Data — Indicators API v2 (GDP, population, development) | none | CC BY 4.0 |
How the snapshot is built
A script (scripts/fetch-data.mjs) calls the World Bank API once per indicator using the
mrnev=1 parameter, which returns each country's most-recent non-empty value
in a single request. We first fetch the country metadata list and keep only entries whose World Bank
region is not "Aggregates", which removes income groups and regional roll-ups and leaves
217 individual countries and territories. The result is committed as a dated JSON
snapshot; the website is fully static and never fetches at build or view time. This snapshot was
retrieved on 2026-06-20 (June 2026).
Indicators we publish
| Indicator | World Bank code | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (current US$) | NY.GDP.MKTP.CD | US$ |
| GDP per capita (current US$) | NY.GDP.PCAP.CD | US$ |
| Population, total | SP.POP.TOTL | people |
| Population growth (annual %) | SP.POP.GROW | %/yr |
| GDP growth (annual %) | NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG | %/yr |
| Inflation, consumer prices (annual %) | FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG | %/yr |
| Unemployment, total (% of labour force, modelled ILO) | SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS | % |
| Life expectancy at birth, total (years) | SP.DYN.LE00.IN | years |
| Individuals using the Internet (% of population) | IT.NET.USER.ZS | % |
| Urban population (% of total) | SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS | % |
| CO2 emissions per capita (tonnes) | EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 | t/person |
Rankings and comparisons
Rankings sort every country that reports an indicator by its latest value (highest first for GDP, income, life expectancy and internet use; lowest first for inflation when shown that way). Our 54 head-to-head comparison pages put two countries side by side on the same indicators and mark which one leads on each — "leads" means the better value (higher GDP, income, life expectancy and internet use; lower inflation, unemployment and CO2 per capita).
Important limitations
- Years differ. Because we use each country's most-recent value, two countries in a comparison may report from different years. The year is always shown next to the value.
- GDP is nominal (current US$). It is not adjusted for purchasing power (PPP) or inflation, so cross-country and over-time comparisons should be read with care. See our guide on GDP vs GDP per capita.
- Some values are modelled or estimated by the World Bank (for example, modelled-ILO unemployment), and a few small countries report little or no data — these render as a dash (—).
- Figures are for general information. Always verify against the primary source before relying on them. See our disclaimer.