What is the GDP of Azerbaijan? What is the Estonia’s exchange rate? Is inflation a problem in Sri Lanka?
To answer all these questions, you need a variety of macroeconomic variables from each of these countries. Further, these measures must be standardized across countries. Wouldn’t it be nice if this data exist?
It turns out that they do. My alma matter (UPenn), puts together this information in the Penn World Tables. Their website describe the data as follows:
The Penn World Table (PWT) displays a set of national accounts economic time series covering many countries. Its expenditure entries are denominated in a common set of prices in a common currency so that real quantity comparisons can be made, both between countries and over time. It also provides information about relative prices within and between countries, as well as demographic data and capital stock estimates.
The data availlable include information on a country’s population, exchange rate, GDP, price leve, GDP components (e.g., consumption, investment, government spending), and other factors. As of September 2013, the PWT had these data from 1950 through 2010. You can find the data download form HERE.