Statistics

CESSDA (Council of European Social Science Data Archives) is an informal association of European data archives, fostering open access and extensive exchange of data and expertise. Its catalogue includes over 40.000 datasets. Founded in June 1976 in Amsterdam by the European data archives of the time, CESSDA serves as a key repository of social science data, particularly on the following European countries:

• Germany
• USA
• France
• Norway
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Israel
• Great Britain
• Netherlands
• Hungary

Keywords: Statistics , Social and Societal Research

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

The database “Deutschland in Zahlen” from the iwd - Information Service of the German Economic Institute offers statistical indicators on economic and social development in Germany.
The data ranges from labour market to purchasing power to balance of payments. In addition to regional and national statistics, there is also a wealth of information on Germany in international comparison.

The offering is supplemented by dossiers on current topics and infographics.

Keywords: Statistics, Germany, Economy

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, providing statistics for EU institutions, Member State authorities, businesses, and the media. Its data support country and regional comparisons, inform EU decision-making, and help the public understand and review these decisions.

The database provides more than 300 million data points covering the 28 EU Member States, EU regions, European cities and partner countries. The thematic focus is on economic, demographic and social statistics.

In addition to data and statistics, the website also provides Eurostat publications such as books, reports and brochures.

The website and its content are available in English, German and French.
 

Keywords: Statistics , European Union

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

The WiSo faculty is recognised by the European Commission as a research institution.

If you would like to apply for microdata access authorization, please contact WiSo Library and Campus Service.

GENESIS is a metadata-supported statistical information system developed by Germany‘s Federal Government and federal states (Länder) statistical offices.

It offers access to a wide range of official statistics through metadata-supported search, allowing users to view, customise, and download data freely.

The subject areas include

• territories, population, employment, elections
• education, social benefits, health, law
• housing, environment
• economic sectors
• foreign trade, businesses, skilled trades
• prices, earnings, income and consumption
• public finances
• national accounts
   

Keywords: Statistics, Germany

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

IEA Statistics provides a comprehensive selection of consistent, up-to-date and reliable energy data and statistics from the International Energy Agency, including charts and tables on 16 energy topics for more than 170 countries and regions.

The IEA collects, evaluates and disseminates statistics on supply, trade, stocks, transformation and demand in the energy sector. It provides access to energy balances and a range of other key energy-related indicators, including:

• energy prices
• public R&D
• energy efficiency measures. 

The platform can be used, for example, for modelling work and tracking both short-term developments and long-term trends in countries’ energy transitions.

(More on IEA's work on data and statistics)

You can edit and export the data according to your needs and create customised graphics.

Keywords:Germany, European Union, Indices and Factors, Statistics, Economics , Energy and Environment

The licensed data and statistics of the IEA can be accessed via the university network (and via VPN)

Instructions for IP recognition access (PDF)

Any questions? Please write to: lica-data(at)wiso.uni-koeln.de

Notice: Since July 2024, it is no longer be possible to access licensed IEA data via the OECD iLibrary.

Manuals:

• https://www.iea.org/about/data-and-statistics/manuals
• https://www.iea.org/about/data-and-statistics/questionnaires

Training:

• https://www.iea.org/about/data-and-statistics/training

International Statistical Yearbook (or AllThatStats)

The International Statistical Yearbook (or AllThatStats) compiles data from national and international institutions such as EUROSTAT, DG ECFIN, OECD, IMF (including IFS, International Financial Statistics), World Bank, UNIDO, UNECE, US macroeconomic data, Deutsche Bundesbank, Federal Statistical Office, DIW (German Institute for Economic Research).

The EU statistics provides information on:

• foreign trade
• country tables
• total trade
• trade balance
• national accounts
• economic surveys
• energy
• agriculture
• tourism
• retail trade
• international Monetary Fund
• united Nations
• industrial Development Organisation

The database contains over 1.8 million quarterly, half-yearly and annual time series since 1960.

Keywords: Statistics

Accessible from the university network (by VPN)

NEW: Online publications of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are now available Open Access, the OECD Data Explorer will replace the previous statistics tool OECD.Stat.

The OECD website provides studies, statistics, data and analyses on the economy, society and the environment.

Access is available to:

• e-books (approx. 300 new e-books per year)
• e-journals containing most of the literature published by the OECD since 1998
• working papers

The OECD's statistical databases include: 

• International Trade by Commodity Statistics (ITCS)
• main economic indicators
• Monthly Statistics of International Trade (MSIT)
• national accounts
• OECD Agriculture Statistics
• OECD Banking Statistics
• OECD Economic Outlook
• OECD Education Statistics
• OECD Employment and Labour Market Statistics
• OECD Health Data
• OECD Insurance Statistics
• OECD International Development Statistics
• OECD International Direct Investment Statistics
• OECD International Migration Statistics
• OECD Science, Technology and R&D Statistics
• OECD Social Expenditure Database
• OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services (SITS)
• OECD Statistics on Measuring Globalisation (SMG)
• OECD Tax Statistics
• OECD Telecommunications and Internet Statistics
• OECD Structural Analysis Database (STAN)
• Structural and Demographic Business Statistics (SDBS).

IEA statistics are no longer accessible via OECD.

Keywords: Statistics

OPEN ACCESS: all OECD publications and data is freely accessible since July 2024. This does not apply to the IEA Statistics of the International Energy Agency.  Information on how to access IEA Statistics.

Please get in touch if you have any questions: lica-data(at)wiso.uni-koeln(dot)de

Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) is an interdisciplinary panel database with survey data from more than 140,000 respondents aged 50 and older. First launched in 2004, it supports research on population ageing and the diverse living conditions of people aged 50 and older in Europe and Israel.

The topics covered include:

• health
• social and economic status
• social and family ties

SHARE is coordinated by the Munich Centre for Ageing Economics (MEA) and is harmonised with the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

Keywords: Statistics , Social and Societal Research

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

Statista is a statistics portal that compiles data from 170 industries and over 150 countries drawing from various institutes and sources.

The database offers:

• over 1 million statistics on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 different sources
• industry information ranging from agriculture to administration and social affairs
• company information with key figures from over 1,000 companies
• infographics on current topics (Daily Data)

Each statistic includes available metadata, such as source, publication date, and sample size, ensuring transparency and verifiability. Data processing follows scientific standards.
In the “Reports”-section, you will find over 20,000 reports offering consolidated information, analyses, and forecasts on:

• digital and trends
• consumers and brands
• industry and markets
• politics and society
• companies and products
• countries and regions

Keywords: Company Info and Financial Statements , Statistics

Until the end of 2025: Access from the university network (also via VPN)

New from 2026: Access only for university members with an university account (no guest accounts) via Shibboleth

Federal and state statistical offices

The statistics portal provides centralised access to basic statistical information from the 16 state statistical offices and the Federal Statistical Office, enabling cross-state comparisons.

It offers a wide range of e data tables with information on Germany and all federal states, covering topics such as:

• energy
• mobility
• education
• prosperity

The portal also links to the statistical databases GENESIS-Online and the Regional Database Germany. In addition, there is a directory of all publications, links to the research data centres and to the classifications and systems used in official statistics.

Keywords: Statistics, Germany

freely accessible on the web (personal registration may be required)

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a web-based platform from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It integrates data from numerous financial and economic databases into a single interface, allowing users to search, link, and store data uniformly, thereby facilitating comparability and combined data analysis.

Overbiew of data providers

The database offerings are divided into two categories: 

Databases included with the base WRDS subscription (included datasets & analytics):

• Bank Regulatory
• Blockholders
• CBOE
• DMEF
• Dow Jones
• Fama French
• FDIC
• Federal Reserve Bank Reports
• IRI
• OTC Markets
• Penn World Tables
• Philadelphia Stock Exchange
• SEC Disclosure of Order Execution
• TRACE

Databases accessible via WRDS with an additional licence purchased from the respective data provider (Additional Datasets & Analytics), e.g.

• Amadeus/Orbis
• Audit + Compliance
• COMPUSTAT
• CRSP
• Eventus
• I/B/E/S
• MFLinks
• Ownership
• Worldscope…

Keywords: Banks , Bonds and fixed Income , Company Info and Financial Statements , Currency Exchange Rates , Derivatives / Options , Indices and Factors , Stock Prices / Markets , Statistics, Economy

How do I get access into WRDS?

To apply for WRDS access, you must meet the following requirements:

• You are a member (student or employee) of the WiSo faculty.
• You have a valid Uni-Köln identifier (Uni-KIM).

1. Faculty internal application procedure

The following groups of people can apply for a WRDS account:

• Please fill out the appropriate registration form digitally,
• sign it (for student accounts, the signature of the supervising person is also absolutely necessary) and
• send it to lica-data(at)wiso.uni-koeln(dot)de.

Following this, you can create a personal account at WRDS as described below.

2. Personal registration on the WRDS platform

• Open in the web browser: https://wrds-www.wharton.upenn.edu/register/
• Fill out the online form and select "University of Cologne" in the subscriber field and select your appropriate account type in the User Type field.
• After registration, an email will be sent to the WRDS administrators who will then verify WiSo faculty affiliation.
• Once approved by the WRDS administrators, your personal WRDS account will be created and you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to proceed.

Important notice

If you already have a WRDS account - active or recently inactive - do not request another WRDS account. Use the account-transfer-form to automatically transfer the account or contact the WRDS Support.

• Regulations and explanation for access to WRDS
• Getting Started Guide
• Video Tutorials