Microeconomic data is survey or longitudinal data providing information about individuals or companies, or at a local level.
UKDS: UK Data Service
Despite the name, UK Data Service also includes microdata from cross-national surveys:
Eurostat | Eurostat Microdata
Access to most EU microdata is restricted to researchers but public microdata is available for the following surveys:
World Bank Microdata Library
A collection of 5,000+ micro datasets from the World Bank and other international, regional and national organisations.
IPUMS
Integrated census and survey microdata from the USA and internationally.
FRED Economic Data
A collection of 822,000+ US and international economic times series datasets since 1991 from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Economic Research Division.
ICPSR: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Archive of 250,000+ research data files in the social and behaviour sciences. Find data by subject, data type, collected method, and time period. Most data is publicly available, but access to some data is restricted.
Not all survey or statistical data is available to researchers. Access to data may be restricted because it is private (about people), commercially sensitive (about companies), or because it is commercially published (available to purchase or on subscription).
Researchers may need to apply to access datasets and agree to protect the privacy and security of the data. The application process can take time (months) and data may only be released to approved researchers or institutions. Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students may be denied access to datasets and have to use Public Use Microdata (PUMF or PUMS) which are limited datasets.
The Library does not purchase datasets for individual researchers. Funding for datasets not available in the Library should be sourced from your research grant or department. Please contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian to discuss developing the Library's statistics collection.
UK Data Service
Find microdata for the UK census and key UK surveys and longitudinal studies. Search by subject/keyword, or Browse by data theme (topic) or data type.
Available microdata includes the following surveys:
Access to data
Researchers must login to UK Data Service to access data. There are three levels of data security:
You can find out more about the Access Levels and Conditions on the UK Data Service website. Generally, students can access open and safeguarded data, but not controlled data. Academic staff and PGR students can apply for access to controlled data, however this process may take many months and may involve completion of training courses.
I-CeM: Integrated Census Microdata
Find and download standardised microdata from the UK census from 1851 to 1911.
CIPFA Stats+
Find data related to local government from the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Themes include finance, council tax, demography, environment, highways, waste, public protection, and social care.
DfE: Department for Education | EES: Explore Educational Statistics
Find data on education and children from early years to higher education. Includes performance data for schools and colleges in England.
HESA: Higher Education Statistics Agency
Find data on the UK higher education sector from 1996 including students, staff, graduates, finance, business and estates.
NHS England Statistics
Find data on health and social care in England including ambulance, hospitals, and waiting times.
OHID: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities Statistics
Find data on public health disparities including abortion, alcohol and tobacco, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, breastfeeding, child health, excess mortality, obesity, and national child measurement programme.
London Datastore | London Datasets
Find data at ward and borough level in the Greater London Authority, including demographic, economic, environmental and social data.
US Census Bureau | US Census Bureau Data Portal
Access data from key US surveys including:
IPUMS: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
IPUMS provides integrated census and survey microdata from the USA and internationally.
ABS: Australian Bureau of Statistics | ABS Microdata
Some Census and Business in Australia microdata is freely available via TableBuilder. Otherwise, microdata requires a personal subscription, or is restricted to experienced researchers in Australia.
HILDA: Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey
Annual household longitudinal study on economic and personal wellbeing, labour market dynamics and family life since 2001 from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic & Social Research
StatCan: Statistics Canada
Public Use Microdata Files:
Abacus Open Data
A data repository curated by Canadian universities. Open data is available for public access. Includes Public Use Microdata Files from Statistics Canada, and deposited research data from selected universities.
