Most Useful Country Info Sources
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CIA World FactbookCountry profiles include information and statistics on the country's geography, population, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and relations with other countries. Includes many small countries that may not be covered by other sources.
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Coface Group Country Risk Assessments160 country evaluations, drawn up on the basis of macroeconomic, financial and political data, are freely available. Regularly updated, they provide an estimate of the average credit risk on a country’s businesses.
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The Economist (via EMU Databases)The Economist is an important periodical for international news. Search within this publication for articles on your country.
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Country Risk - A.M. Best CompanyChoose a country to obtain a 3-4 page report rating political, economic, and financial risk.
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Global Edge Country InsightsProvides links to many sources, some country pages will have a have useful link to a U.S. government produced Country Commercial Guide.
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Deloitte International Tax and Business GuidesThis site provides tax and regulatory information on many countries. Each country has a "Highlights" document that offers brief information.
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U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets (formerly called Background Notes)This source by the U.S. Department of State focuses on U.S. relations with the country and often lists the country's memberships in international organizations. The page also provides links to other government reports that may be useful. Includes reports for small countries that may not be covered elsewhere.
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Country StudiesEach Study presents a book length survey of the country, with chapters on history, geography & population, social systems, education & culture, economy, agriculture, industry, transportation & trade, science & technology, government, political process, foreign relations, criminal justice & security, and national defense. Studies are not updated every year; site also offers country profiles that are updated more often.
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EIU ViewsWireThe Economist Intelligence Unit publishes ViewsWire, which provides country analysis. Choosing a country takes you directly to that country’s home page, which shows a “Critical issues” section, the latest analysis on the most pressing topic of the day. An “Economic quick views” section takes you straight to insights into the latest news.
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European Commission Trade Policy Countries and RegionsThe EU has specific trade policies in place for all its partners and abides by the global rules on international trade set out by the World Trade Organisation.
More Country Info Sources
See also the Statistics tab of this research guide.
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IMF Reports by CountryLists reports by the International Monetary Fund relating to specific countries. Some of these may be highly technical economic reports.
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KPMG InternationalThe international accounting firm provides many full text reports on investing in or doing business in specific countries. Filter the insights list by Geography and look for reports titled "Investment in [county name]."
Alternatively, do a Google search like this: KPMG "investment in China" -
Lex Mundi Guides to Doing BusinessLegal guides written by law firms that cover business regulations in various countries, states, and provinces.
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Business Enabling Environment (BEE) from World BankAlternative Existing Indicators is an alternative to Doing Business Reports until the World Bank full launches the BEE.
Doing Business Reports ceased publication after the 2020 edition. Legacy reports rank the country's regulations compared to other countries and provide details on regulations related to starting a business, getting credit, licenses, employing workers, investments, taxes, trade, contracts, bankruptcy, etc. -
Ernst & Young InternationalSearching the Ernst & Young site for a particular country can lead to very interesting reports. Available information will vary by country and not all publications are in English.
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UK Government - Overseas Business RisksThough for UK companies, the insights can be applied to US companies.
Maps
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CIA MapsThe CIA offers maps you can download to use in your projects.
Did you know?
Under federal law, U.S. government agencies are not allowed to copyright information they create. This policy is meant to keep info accessible to citizens. It also means that it's legal to reuse and republish info (and in this case maps) published by the U.S. government.