Stafford Library: International Business Resource Guide: Country Info via Internet Links

U.S. Government Websites

CIA World Fact Book
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
Export.gov's Country Briefs
Briefings on ecommerce sales channels (B2C & B2B) for about 19 countries.
Export.gov's Country Commercial Guides
Market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs for more than 140 countries prepared by trade and industry experts at U.S. embassies worldwide
Library of Congress Country Studies Series
Published between 1988 and 2015, contains reports on 82 countries.
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As stated in the foreword of the 2015 report on Sudan:

Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by historical and cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common inter-
ests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order.

The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States government position, policy, or decision.
Office of the United States Trade Representative: Information on Countries and Regions
Has information on U.S.'s exports to and imports from other countries and regions. Also has information on the exports of the individual states of the U.S.A.
Overseas Business Insights of the U.S. State Department
A monthly newsletter with five to six unique articles spotlighting the business environment in an assortment of countries throughout the western hemisphere.
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets
Published by the U.S. Department of State, the fact sheets provide information on the political and economic relations between the U.S. and the country covered in the fact sheet. Links are provided to other government sources on the country.
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Economic Research Service - Countries & Regions
Country-specific reports, information, and data are available on Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.

Related Stafford Library Resource Guides

The library guides below will help you locate additional good sources of information on various countries.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

The EIU is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group which publishes The Economist magazine and other print and digital products.

Reports on Individual Countries
Information on each country's politics, economy, risk, regulation, business, and industry.
You will have access to only the information that is available at no charge.
Special Reports of the Economist Intelligence Unit
These free reports provide information on macroeconomic events, country affairs and issues affecting industries.
To access a report, you will need to register.

United Nations

Data on Individual Countries
For each country:
General Information.
Economic Indicators.
Major Trading Partners.
Social indicators.
Environment and Infrastructure Indicators.
General and Maritime Profiles of Individual Countries
Click on the link for the General Profile or the Maritime Profile.
Choose a country using the search box or the list in the right column.
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online
Presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world.
To access the PDF of the tables, click on the appropriate link on menu in the left column.
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Contains 55 tables, comprising over 100 indicators, of monthly, quarterly and annual data on a variety of subjects illustrating important economic trends and developments, including population, industrial production indices, price indices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade, finance and national accounts.

World Bank

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. We are not a bank in the ordinary sense but a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development.

Countries and Economies
In addition to the alphabetical list of country links, you can access regional information by clicking on links in the right column under "Regions" and "Other Country Groups."

After you access a particular country's or region's information, take a look at the graphs and then:
1) Click on the info radio button by the country's or region's name at the top.
2) Click on the links in the right column of the page.
Country & Region Information from the Section on Where The World Bank Works
Additional information on countries and regions can be found here.
Doing Business
Provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level.
Doing Business - Law Library
Portal to laws of various countries and regions.
Trade Statistics by Country/Region
European Union - Overview
European Union - Data
Take a look at the graphs and then:
1) Click on the info radio button by "European Union" at the top.
2) Click on the links in the right column of the page.

World Economic Forum

Global Gender Gap Report 2020
The second part of this report contains country profiles.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Home Page of the OECD
Choose a county by dropping down the "Countries" menu in the blue banner near the top.
Trade and Investment Statistical Country Notes
See the links to the countries in the lower part of the screen.

Various Other Websites with Country Information

BBC Country Profiles
Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.
Coface: Economic Studies
Country and sector risk assessment information is available on the website of the credit insurer Coface.
eDiplomat
Click on the links in the left column for:
(1) Diplomatic Post Reports.
(2) Cultural Etiquette.
(3) Country Briefs.
Can also use the search box to enter a country.
European Union Member Countries
For additional information, click on the name link of the country and on the links in the "Figures" field of the box.
globalEDGE's Country Insights Section
This website of the International Business Center at Michigan State University has tools to compare countries and to retrieve country rankings in terms of economy, education, energy, government, health, infrastructure, labor, people (population), and trade & investment.
Human Rights Watch - Countries Section
This nonprofit, nongovernmental organization publishes reports and briefings on human rights conditions in various countries.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Section on Countries
Social Progress Index: 2020
A new way to define the success of our societies. It is a comprehensive measure of real quality of life, independent of economic i
United Kingdom's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s Economic Factsheets
These economic factsheets summarize key economic data for over 180 of the world’s economies on just 2 pages each.
United Kingdom's Foreign Travel Advice for Individual Countries
Created and maintained by the government of the United Kingdom, this site has information on:
Entry Requirements
Health
Local Laws and Customs
Safety and Security
Terrorism
Travel Advice, Help, and Support
Plus More
United Kingdom's Resource on Overseas Business Risk
Created and maintained by the government of the United Kingdom, this site provides geopolitical and economic analysis on individual countries to new and expanding exporters. The guides also provide information on potential risks including human rights issues, bribery and corruption, terrorism, criminal activity and intellectual property.
World Trade Organization's Trade Profiles
Provides a series of key indicators on merchandise trade and trade in commercial services for over 190 economies, highlighting the major exports and imports for each economy as well as their main trading partners.