LibGuides: Global Health: Finding Country Background

Featured Reference Source

Basic

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Profiles
Click on 'UNDP around the world' to choose a specific country. Look in the 'About' tab for specific references to current challenges in the country.
CIA World Factbook
Basic demographic, government, and economic info by country.
World Bank Open Data
Access global development data by country

Health

World Health Organization (WHO) Country Profiles
Brief fact sheets of basic population, health information, and mortality statistics for WHO member countries.
Health Data, Country Profiles (IMHE)
Overview of findings from the Global Burden of Disease survey by country.
Food Security Index
Index of food security issues related to affordability, availability, and quality across 113 countries

Economics, Policy, & Political Background Sources

S&P Global Connect This link opens in a new window
S&P Global Connect presents market and finance data arranged by country. It includes a country's financial profile, current political, economic, legal, operations, tax, and security risks news, & long term (5 year) financial projections.
After clicking ‘Connect’ at our information page, enter your Duke Net ID and password at the Duke Net ID login screen. This will share only your first name, last name, and Duke email with S&P for authentication purposes.

If you do not wish to share this information, do not connect, and instead consult a librarian for alternative resources.

Political Handbook of the World
Presents excellent, authoritative overviews of countries worldwide.

IGOs & NGOs

CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new window
Search for scholarship on theory and research in international affairs; includes NGO publications
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
Search for articles and books published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1998
World Bank e-Library This link opens in a new window
Search across World Bank documents, including World Bank publications and Policy Research Working Papers

World Health Organization
Use the "Health Topics," "Countries," and "Data and Statistics" tabs to locate background information.

Selected sites and reference books for getting background information on global health topics.

Encyclopedia of Global Health
You will have access through the links below the abstract on the encyclopedia's homepage.
Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior
A reference source for the field of health and behavior, which studies the "interaction of behavioral, psychological, emotional, social, cultural, and biological factors with physical health outcomes".
Kaiser: Global Health
Part of Kaiser EDU's website which offers lists of resources on broad health policy topics, such as HIV/AIDS, insurance, and immigrants' access to care.