Available Datasets

Overview of all QoG datasets accessible through pyqog, with codebook links.

Overview

The Quality of Government (QoG) Institute provides several datasets, each with a different scope and focus. All datasets are available in time-series (panel) and cross-sectional (snapshot) formats. All data is downloaded in CSV format.

Dataset Prefix pyqog name Description
Basic bas "basic" Curated selection of key governance and institutional quality indicators. Good starting point for most analyses.
Standard std "standard" The most comprehensive QoG dataset with approximately 2,000 variables from hundreds of sources.
OECD oecd "oecd" Focused on OECD member countries with indicators relevant to developed economies.
Environmental ei "environmental" Environmental indicators including emissions, resources, and sustainability metrics.
Social Policy soc "social_policy" Social policy data covering health, education, welfare, and social protection.

Basic Dataset

QoG Basic bas

The Basic dataset contains a curated subset of the Standard dataset, focusing on the most commonly used indicators of governance quality, democracy, corruption, and economic development. It is ideal for teaching, quick explorations, and analyses that do not require the full breadth of the Standard dataset.

Usage:

df = pyqog.read_qog(which_data="basic")

Standard Dataset

QoG Standard std

The Standard dataset is the flagship QoG product. It contains approximately 2,000 variables compiled from hundreds of data sources including the World Bank, United Nations, V-Dem, Transparency International, Freedom House, and many others. It covers governance, economics, health, education, environment, conflict, and more.

Usage:

df = pyqog.read_qog(which_data="standard")

OECD Dataset

QoG OECD oecd

The OECD dataset focuses on OECD member countries and includes indicators particularly relevant to developed economies and OECD policy analysis. It contains additional variables from OECD-specific data sources not found in the Standard dataset.

Usage:

df = pyqog.read_qog(which_data="oecd")

Environmental Indicators Dataset

QoG Environmental Indicators ei

The Environmental Indicators dataset compiles environmental data including CO2 emissions, deforestation, biodiversity, water resources, energy use, and sustainability metrics from various international sources.

Usage:

df = pyqog.read_qog(which_data="environmental")

Social Policy Dataset

QoG Social Policy soc

The Social Policy dataset focuses on social protection, health systems, education, welfare spending, inequality, and labor market indicators across countries and over time.

Usage:

df = pyqog.read_qog(which_data="social_policy")

Codebook Links (PDF)

Each dataset version has a corresponding codebook that describes every variable in detail. Below are direct links to codebook PDFs for all datasets and versions.

Current Version (Jan 2026)

Dataset Codebook PDF
Basic codebook_bas_jan26.pdf
Standard codebook_std_jan26.pdf
OECD codebook_oecd_jan26.pdf
Environmental codebook_ei_jan26.pdf
Social Policy codebook_soc_jan26.pdf

Archive Versions

Codebooks for older dataset versions are available from the QoG data archive. Use the year parameter in read_qog() to download the corresponding data.

Programmatic access

You can also get codebook URLs programmatically:

import pyqog

# Get codebook URL for any dataset and version
url = pyqog.get_codebook_url("standard", 2026)
print(url)
# https://www.qogdata.pol.gu.se/data/codebook_std_jan26.pdf

External Resources

For more information about QoG data, including detailed variable descriptions, methodology, and additional datasets, visit the official QoG resources:

QoG Data Finder

Interactive tool to search and explore QoG variables across all datasets.

Open Data Finder →
Data Downloads

Official QoG data download page with all current datasets.

Downloads Page →
Data Archive

Access all historical versions of QoG datasets.

Data Archive →