About this resource
Founded by statistician Hans Rosling and colleagues, Gapminder works to correct common misconceptions about global development using data. The platform compiles public data from the World Bank, the United Nations and other institutions and provides accessible interactive charts (such as bubble charts) and teaching materials.
Content and features
- Coverage: global development indicators on income, health, population, education, energy and environment, with original sources noted (mostly the World Bank and the UN).
- Visualisation: classic bubble charts and other interactive tools showing change over time.
- Teaching orientation: fact quizzes and course resources that help learners test their understanding of the world.
Licence and use
- Licence: data may be reused freely with attribution to the original source and to Gapminder (recommended citation: “Free data from World Bank via Gapminder.org, CC-BY license”).
- Citation: state the original data source and access date; do not present Gapminder’s compiled version as primary data.
- Teaching: charts and course materials may be used in non-commercial teaching; see the platform’s terms for details.
Notes for researchers
Gapminder’s strength lies in entry-level explanation and communication; formal research should still trace the original databases it lists (such as World Bank WDI or UN Population Division) and cite primary data directly. Some historical visualisations are methodologically contested, so check indicator definitions and reference years before citing charts.
Sources and version: this entry is a resource index pointing to a third-party open data platform; data rights belong to the original sources (World Bank, etc.) and Gapminder, and licence terms follow the latest terms of the source site.