ALESS open data portal

Background

Global health research can answer many important questions which have direct relevance to people's daily lives. Example topics include health inequality, health policy, health promotion, safety, and disease prevention (MacFarlane et al., 2008). Research on these topics can be found in many different kinds of journals and books, with a range of different methods and themes.

Global health encompasses a wide range of issues including infectious and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, mental health, healthcare access, environmental health, and health systems. Data on these topics helps researchers understand health patterns, identify disparities, evaluate interventions, and inform policy decisions.

Reference

Macfarlane, S. B., Jacobs, M., & Kaaya, E. E. (2008). In the name of global health: trends in academic institutions. Journal of public health policy, 29(4), 383-401.

Data Sources

Global Health Data

1. WHO Global Health Observatory (GHO)

https://www.who.int/data/gho

WHO's main health statistics repository
Over 1,000 indicators on health topics including:
- Mortality and burden of diseases
- Maternal, newborn, and child health
- Non-communicable diseases
- Mental health
- Tobacco and alcohol use
- Healthcare systems and spending
- Environmental health
Can browse by country, topic, or theme
Data downloads as CSV files (opens in Excel)
Tip: The database is very large - focus on 1-2 specific topics
How to use: Select indicators → Filter by country/year → Download filtered data
Good for: Comprehensive global health comparisons

2. Our World in Data - Global Health

https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta

User-friendly health data with interactive visualizations
Topics include:
- Causes of death: https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death
- Life expectancy: https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy
- Child mortality: https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality
- Healthcare spending: https://ourworldindata.org/financing-healthcare
- Disease burden: https://ourworldindata.org/burden-of-disease
All data free to download (CSV format)
Clear explanations alongside data
Good for: Getting started and understanding health trends

3. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) - Global Burden of Disease

https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/gbd

Comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases and injuries
Data by country, age group, sex, and year
Interactive data visualizations
Downloads available through data tools
More advanced but very detailed
Good for: Detailed analysis of disease burden and health outcomes

4. World Bank - Health Nutrition and Population Statistics

https://datatopics.worldbank.org/health/

Health indicators combined with economic and development data
Easy comparison across countries
Includes healthcare spending, outcomes, and system capacity
Downloads in multiple formats
Good for: Connecting health outcomes with economic factors

Specific Health Topics

5. WHO Mental Health Atlas

https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/data-research/mental-health-atlas

Data on mental health resources and policies by country
Mental health spending, beds, workforce
Updated periodically
Good for: Comparing mental health systems across countries

6. WHO Tobacco Control Data

https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/tobacco-control/who-report-on-the-global-tobacco-epidemic-2023

Global tobacco use statistics
Tobacco control policies by country
Trends over time
Good for: Studying tobacco use patterns and policy impacts

7. UNICEF Data

https://data.unicef.org/

Focus on child and maternal health
Child mortality, malnutrition, immunization, education
Country-level data with downloadable datasets
Good for: Research on children's health and wellbeing

Japan-Specific Data (if studying Japan)

8. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) - Statistics & Data

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/

Official Japanese health statistics
English version available
Vital statistics, medical facilities, health surveys
Good for: Studying health in Japan

9. e-Stat Portal - Health Statistics

https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en

Japan's official statistics portal
Health and medical care data under "Statistics by Theme"
Vital statistics, medical care activities, public health
Some data available in English
Good for: Detailed Japanese health data

10. Our World in Data - Japan Health Profile

https://ourworldindata.org/country/japan

Japan-specific health data with international context
Easy comparison with other countries
Life expectancy, causes of death, healthcare spending
Good for: Comparing Japan with other countries

Example research questions

To answer some of these questions, you might need to find other data to combine with health datasets (e.g., GDP per capita, education levels, healthcare spending, pollution levels, urbanization rates, policy information).

What factors are related to life expectancy worldwide?

Do some countries invest more resources in mental health care than others?

How does tobacco use vary around the world?

What is the relationship between healthcare spending and infant mortality rates?

How does air pollution relate to respiratory disease rates across countries?

Is there a relationship between education levels and maternal mortality?

Tips for Using Global Health Data

Getting Started:

Start with Our World in Data or WHO GHO - both are user-friendly
Choose one specific health topic (don't try to study everything!)
Select a limited number of countries or focus on one region
Use filters to make datasets smaller and more manageable
Download only the data you need for your specific question

Understanding the Data:

Life expectancy: Average number of years a person is expected to live
Infant/child mortality: Deaths per 1,000 live births (often used as health system indicator)
Maternal mortality: Deaths per 100,000 live births during pregnancy or childbirth
Disease burden: Often measured in DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years)
Healthcare spending: Can be measured as % of GDP or dollars per capita
Incidence: New cases of a disease per year
Prevalence: Total cases of a disease at a given time

Making Comparisons:

Use rates (per 1,000 or per 100,000 people) rather than absolute numbers
Consider both wealthy and developing countries to see full range
Account for differences in data collection quality between countries
Look at trends over time, not just single years
Consider using age-standardized rates for fair comparisons

Combining Datasets: Global health research often requires combining multiple datasets. For example:

Health outcomes + healthcare spending + GDP per capita
Disease rates + pollution levels + urbanization
Maternal mortality + education levels + healthcare access
Life expectancy + tobacco use + healthcare system quality

For Your Analysis:

Create clear graphs showing relationships between variables
Use scatter plots to show correlations between health and other factors
Consider making maps to show geographic patterns
Look for outliers - countries that perform better or worse than expected

Citation: Always cite your data sources:

Example: "World Health Organization (2024). Global Health Observatory data repository. Geneva: World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/data/gho (accessed October 5, 2025)"

Useful Additional Data Sources

When studying global health, you might want to combine health data with:

Economic data: GDP, income levels, poverty rates (World Bank)
Education data: Literacy rates, school enrollment (UNESCO, World Bank)
Environmental data: Air pollution, water quality, sanitation (WHO, World Bank)
Demographics: Age structure, urbanization, population density (UN, World Bank)
Policy data: Healthcare policies, insurance coverage, regulations (WHO, OECD)
Infrastructure: Hospitals, doctors per capita, medical equipment (WHO GHO)

Questions? Need Help?

WHO GHO has over 1,000 indicators - don't be overwhelmed, just focus on your topic
Our World in Data is the easiest place to start
Use filters to reduce dataset size before downloading
It's okay to focus on just one aspect of health (e.g., just maternal health or just tobacco)
Remember that health outcomes are influenced by many factors beyond just healthcare

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