About this resource
Our World in Data (OWID), initiated by researchers at the University of Oxford and run by the Global Change Data Lab, is an open knowledge platform connecting raw data with public debate. Its method focuses on long-run change, using charts and articles to show the historical trajectories of global development issues rather than only current news.
Content and features
- Topics: poverty and inequality, health and population, energy and environment, food and agriculture, education, technology, violence and peace.
- Long-run perspective: many charts reach back decades or centuries, helping readers identify structural change.
- Transparent methods: each chart cites its data sources and processing notes, making it possible to trace the underlying data.
Licence and use
- Licence: charts, articles and data are generally CC BY 4.0 unless stated otherwise; some underlying data come from third parties whose rights and licences prevail.
- Citation: when citing an OWID chart, credit “Our World in Data”, the specific page, the access date and the underlying data source.
- Reuse: charts may be embedded with attribution, which suits teaching, reports and public communication.
Notes for researchers
OWID is an excellent entry point for searching and teaching, but its charts are secondary products. In formal research, trace the original databases it cites and cite the primary sources directly; for contested data (such as conflict fatality counts), pay particular attention to definitions and uncertainty.
Sources and version: this entry is a resource index pointing to a third-party open knowledge platform; content rights belong to OWID/Global Change Data Lab and the underlying data owners, and licence terms follow the latest terms of the source site.