Transparency
Corrections & known issues
Found a wrong value?
On the map, the button is always at the top (⚑ Report). A link to a better source helps most.
How we handle errors
Every number has a source
Each metric names its source and license. Open a country or metric to see where a value comes from.
No silent fixes
When we change a value because it was wrong, it is listed below with what was wrong and what we did.
Checks, not guesses
Automated checks flag odd values for a human to look at. They never change data themselves.
Tell us
Reports go straight to our issue tracker. We check each one against the source, and fix it there when the source is wrong.
Freshness, coverage and the results of the automated checks for every metric are on Data status.
Corrections log
License · FAO data (meat, fish, fertilizer, calories, forest) Own review
Problem: Listed only as CC BY 4.0; Our World in Data names an older non-commercial license for these series.
Fix: Checked FAO's current database terms: CC BY 4.0 plus FAO's extra conditions (no product promotion, no implied endorsement). Both are now stated with the source.
UN membership Own review
Problem: Wikidata's membership dates missed Denmark and gave wrong years for several countries (South Africa and the Philippines as founding members, Burundi, Benin, Azerbaijan).
Fix: Checked every country by hand against the UN's own membership list and corrected the dates; predecessor seats are noted.
Events · The Holocaust Own review
Problem: Wikidata started it in 1933 and linked it to Romania only.
Fix: Shown 1941–1945 with the twelve countries where the systematic murder took place.
Events · start years and labels Own review
Problem: Some Wikidata events had wrong start years (e.g. the Circassian genocide in 1800 instead of 1864), a vandalised English name or overloaded country lists.
Fix: Each case checked against its Wikipedia article and corrected in our curation file; genocide is only shown where it has broad scholarly or judicial recognition.
Germany 1949–1990 · V-Dem democracy metrics Own review
Problem: Germany had no values before reunification, so the map showed a gap.
Fix: Filled with West Germany's values, only where Germany itself has none.
Known issues
Taiwan in World Bank metrics
The World Bank does not publish data for Taiwan. It appears in the long-run Our World in Data series and is missing (hatched) elsewhere.
Values carried forward
When a country hasn't reported for a year, its last value is carried forward for up to five years. The map and country card then say “latest: year”.
Elections after 2023
ParlGov ends in mid-2023; later elections are added by hand from official results, with a source per entry. Party families follow ParlGov's classification, which can be debated for single parties.
Historical map 1500–2010
The source maps are approximate (e.g. Africa in 1900, dominions shown as independent) and borders jump between snapshots.
Wikidata-based counts
World Heritage Sites, Nobel prizes, Olympic medals and events are only as complete as Wikidata. Countries are matched by today's state (e.g. Soviet Union → Russia).
Borders
Borders are de facto (Natural Earth). Disputed areas are separate entities without data and do not imply endorsement.