Data sources
The World Bank’s population estimates are compiled and produced
by its Development Data Group in consultation with its Human Devel-
opment Network, operational staff, and country offices. The United
Nations Population Division (2013) is a source of the demographic
data for more than half the countries, most of them developing
countries. Other important sources are census reports and other
statistical publications from national statistical offices, Eurostat’s
Demographic Statistics, the United Nations Statistics Division’s
Population and Vital Statistics Report, the U.S. Bureau of the Cen-
sus’s International Data Base, and the Secretariat of the Pacific
Community’s Statistics and Demography Programme.
Data on surface and land area are from the Food and Agricul-
ture Organization, which gathers these data from national agen-
cies through annual questionnaires and by analyzing the results of
national agricultural censuses.
Data on urban population shares are from United Nations Popula-
tion Division (2012).
GNI, GNI per capita, GDP growth, and GDP per capita growth are
estimated by World Bank staff based on national accounts data col-
lected by World Bank staff during economic missions or reported by
national statistical offices to other international organizations such
as the OECD. PPP conversion factors are estimates by Eurostat/
OECD and by World Bank staff based on data collected by the ICP.