Typical questions

• • I need data on declining fertility in Western Europe.

• • Can I access the Indian census online?

Starting points

• • Students often need to access high quality data. Free websites need to be checked for the reliability of the sources used and the date they were last updated. This section highlights key starting points. Users may also find it useful to consult the Geography chapter. Those interested in fertility could also consult the Medicine and Nursing and Women's Studies chapters.

• • Other commonly requested items are census reports. These are covered in a sub-section. Other examples may also be located in the main Statistical Data chapter. However, students need to be aware of restrictions on access to local level and recent data due to privacy regulations and should consult any local data librarians for advice. If the local university does not have a subscription, national and local public record offices will often provide free visitor access to databases/original records.

Recommended resources

Key organisations

United Nations Population Division

www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/about/index.shtml Specialist unit producing regular demographic estimates and population projects for countries worldwide. Its website provides free access to reports and data relating to its flagship publication World Population Prospects. It also has sections on urban/rural populations, migration and population policies.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

www.unfpa.org

UN sexual and reproductive health agency. Its website includes free access to recent editions of its annual State of World Population report that highlights recent trends. The most ones include data tables which can be downloaded. Other publications cover maternal mortality trends and population trends in specific regions of the world.

Journal articles

Use this to supplement resources in the Journal Articles chapter.

Statistical data

LandScan Global Population database (Subscription) [Specialist]

ww.eastview.com/resources/e-collections/landscan

Developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This specialist resource shows the geographical distribution of population at one- kilometre resolution over an average 24-hour period.

United Nations Demographic Yearbook

unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/index.cshtml Free access to all editions from 1948 onwards. Covers population size, births, deaths, marriage and divorce for nations worldwide. Also covers foreign-born populations.

WorldPop [Specialist]

www.worldpop.org.uk

Academic project that aims to provide free access to high quality spatial demographic datasets for Central and South America, Africa and Asia to support development and disaster response.