Package 'readoecd'

Title: Download and Tidy Data from the 'OECD'
Description: Provides clean, tidy access to key economic indicators published by the 'Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development' ('OECD'), covering GDP, CPI inflation, unemployment, tax revenue, government deficit, health expenditure, education expenditure, income inequality, labour productivity, and current account balance across all 38 'OECD' member countries. Data is downloaded from the 'OECD Data Explorer' API <https://data-explorer.oecd.org> on first use and cached locally for subsequent calls. Returns tidy long-format data frames ready for analysis and visualisation.
Authors: Charles Coverdale [aut, cre]
Maintainer: Charles Coverdale <[email protected]>
License: MIT + file LICENSE
Version: 0.3.4
Built: 2026-06-03 06:40:54 UTC
Source: https://github.com/charlescoverdale/readoecd

Help Index

Check OECD API connectivity

Description

Tests the OECD API by making a small live request. Useful for diagnosing connectivity issues or confirming the API is responding normally.

Usage

check_oecd_api()

Value

Invisibly returns TRUE if the API is reachable, otherwise throws an error.

See Also

Other utilities: clear_oecd_cache(), list_oecd_countries()

Examples

## Not run: 
check_oecd_api()

## End(Not run)

Clear the readoecd local cache

Description

Deletes all files cached by readoecd on your local machine. After clearing, the next call to any ⁠get_oecd_*()⁠ function will re-download from the OECD API.

Usage

clear_oecd_cache()

Value

Invisibly returns the number of files deleted.

See Also

Other utilities: check_oecd_api(), list_oecd_countries()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
clear_oecd_cache()
options(op)

Get OECD CPI inflation data

Description

Downloads (and caches) annual consumer price inflation for OECD member countries from the OECD Prices database (COICOP 1999 classification).

Usage

get_oecd_cpi(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Returns the year-on-year percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for total expenditure, not seasonally adjusted. This is the standard harmonised measure of headline inflation used for cross-country comparisons.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"CPI_INFLATION" (character)

value

Annual CPI inflation rate (numeric)

unit

"% change, year-on-year" (character)

See Also

Other economic indicators: get_oecd_gdp(), get_oecd_unemployment()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
cpi <- try(get_oecd_cpi(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(cpi, "try-error")) head(cpi)
options(op)

Get OECD trade (balance of payments) data

Description

Downloads (and caches) annual current account balance data for OECD member countries from the OECD Balance of Payments (BOP) database.

Usage

get_oecd_current_account(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Returns the current account balance (credits minus debits) with the rest of the world, in millions of US dollars at current exchange rates. A positive value indicates a current account surplus; a negative value indicates a deficit.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"CURRENT_ACCOUNT" or "CURRENT_ACCOUNT_GOODS_SERVICES" (character)

value

Current account balance in millions USD (numeric)

unit

"Millions USD (exchange rate)" (character)

See Also

Other productivity and trade: get_oecd_productivity()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
trade <- try(get_oecd_current_account(c("AUS", "DEU", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(trade, "try-error")) head(trade)
options(op)

Get OECD government deficit data

Description

Downloads (and caches) general government net lending/borrowing as a share of GDP for OECD member countries from the OECD National Accounts (NAAG) database.

Usage

get_oecd_deficit(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Net lending/borrowing is the difference between government revenue and expenditure, expressed as a percentage of GDP. A positive value indicates a surplus (government saving); a negative value indicates a deficit (government borrowing). This is the standard fiscal balance measure used for cross-country comparisons and is consistent with the System of National Accounts (SNA) definition.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"GOVT_NET_LENDING" (character)

value

Net lending/borrowing as a share of GDP (numeric). Positive = surplus; negative = deficit.

unit

"% of GDP" (character)

See Also

Other fiscal: get_oecd_tax()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
deficit <- try(get_oecd_deficit(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(deficit, "try-error")) head(deficit)
options(op)

Get OECD education expenditure data

Description

Downloads (and caches) total education expenditure as a share of GDP for OECD member countries from the OECD Education at a Glance (EAG) UOE Finance database.

Usage

get_oecd_education(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Education expenditure covers spending on educational institutions across all levels of education (ISCED 0–8), from all public and private sources, expressed as a percentage of GDP.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"EDU_EXPENDITURE" (character)

value

Total education expenditure as a share of GDP (numeric)

unit

"% of GDP" (character)

See Also

Other social indicators: get_oecd_health(), get_oecd_inequality()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
edu <- try(get_oecd_education(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(edu, "try-error")) head(edu)
options(op)

Get OECD GDP data

Description

Downloads (and caches) annual gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices for OECD member countries from the OECD National Accounts database.

Usage

get_oecd_gdp(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all 38 OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

GDP is measured using the expenditure approach (Table 1 of the OECD Main National Accounts), valued at current prices in US dollars converted using purchasing power parities (PPPs) where available.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"GDP" (character)

value

GDP value at current prices (numeric)

unit

Unit of measurement (character)

See Also

Other economic indicators: get_oecd_cpi(), get_oecd_unemployment()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
gdp <- try(get_oecd_gdp(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2010))

if (!inherits(gdp, "try-error")) {
  # Largest OECD economies
  latest <- gdp[gdp$year == max(gdp$year), ]
  head(latest[order(-latest$value), c("country_name", "value")], 10)
}
options(op)

Get OECD health expenditure data

Description

Downloads (and caches) total current health expenditure as a share of GDP for OECD member countries from the System of Health Accounts (SHA) database.

Usage

get_oecd_health(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Health expenditure covers all spending on health care goods and services across all financing sources (government, compulsory insurance, voluntary insurance, and out-of-pocket payments), measured as a percentage of GDP at current prices.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"HEALTH_EXPENDITURE" (character)

value

Total health expenditure as a share of GDP (numeric)

unit

"% of GDP" (character)

See Also

Other social indicators: get_oecd_education(), get_oecd_inequality()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
health <- try(get_oecd_health(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(health, "try-error")) head(health)
options(op)

Get OECD income inequality data

Description

Downloads (and caches) the Gini coefficient of disposable income for OECD member countries from the OECD Income Distribution Database (IDD).

Usage

get_oecd_inequality(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

The Gini coefficient measures income inequality on a scale from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (maximum inequality). Disposable income is household income after taxes and transfers. The series follows the OECD METH2012 methodology where available for consistency across countries and time.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"GINI" (character)

value

Gini coefficient of disposable income (numeric)

unit

"Gini coefficient (0-1)" (character)

See Also

Other social indicators: get_oecd_education(), get_oecd_health()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
gini <- try(get_oecd_inequality(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA", "DNK"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(gini, "try-error")) head(gini)
options(op)

Get OECD productivity data

Description

Downloads (and caches) labour productivity data for OECD member countries from the OECD Productivity Database (PDB).

Usage

get_oecd_productivity(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Returns GDP per hour worked where available (in USD purchasing power parities), falling back to GDP per capita. Values are at current prices.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"GDP_PER_HOUR" or "GDP_PER_CAPITA" (character)

value

Productivity value (numeric)

unit

Unit of measurement (character)

See Also

Other productivity and trade: get_oecd_current_account()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
prod <- try(get_oecd_productivity(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(prod, "try-error")) head(prod)
options(op)

Get OECD tax revenue data

Description

Downloads (and caches) total tax revenue as a share of GDP for OECD member countries from the OECD Revenue Statistics Comparator database.

Usage

get_oecd_tax(countries = "all", start_year = 1990, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all available OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 1990.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

year

Calendar year (integer)

series

"TAX_REVENUE" (character)

value

Total tax revenue as a share of GDP (numeric)

unit

"% of GDP" (character)

See Also

Other fiscal: get_oecd_deficit()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
tax <- try(get_oecd_tax(c("AUS", "GBR", "USA"), start_year = 2000))
if (!inherits(tax, "try-error")) head(tax)
options(op)

Get OECD unemployment rates

Description

Downloads (and caches) monthly harmonised unemployment rates for OECD member countries from the OECD Labour Force Statistics database.

Usage

get_oecd_unemployment(countries = "all", start_year = 2000, refresh = FALSE)

Arguments

countries

Character vector of ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country codes, or "all" for all 38 OECD members. Defaults to "all". Run list_oecd_countries() to see available codes.
start_year

Numeric. Earliest year to include. Defaults to 2000.
refresh

Logical. If TRUE, re-download even if a cached copy exists. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

Returns the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate as a percentage of the labour force, for persons aged 15 and over (total, both sexes). This is the standard harmonised series used for cross-country comparisons.

Value

A data frame with columns:

country

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

country_name

English country name (character)

period

Calendar month in "YYYY-MM" format (character)

series

"Unemployment rate" (character)

value

Unemployment rate as a percentage of the labour force (numeric)

unit

"% of labour force" (character)

See Also

Other economic indicators: get_oecd_cpi(), get_oecd_gdp()

Examples

op <- options(readoecd.cache_dir = tempdir())
# All OECD members since 2010
une <- try(get_oecd_unemployment(start_year = 2010))

# Australia and UK since 2020
une <- try(get_oecd_unemployment(c("AUS", "GBR"), start_year = 2020))

if (!inherits(une, "try-error")) {
  # Which country had the highest unemployment in 2020?
  une2020 <- une[startsWith(une$period, "2020"), ]
  une2020_avg <- aggregate(value ~ country_name, une2020, mean)
  head(une2020_avg[order(-une2020_avg$value), ], 5)
}
options(op)

List OECD member countries

Description

Returns a data frame of the 38 OECD member countries with their ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes and English names. No network call is required.

Usage

list_oecd_countries()

Value

A data frame with columns:

iso3

ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (character)

name

English country name (character)

See Also

Other utilities: check_oecd_api(), clear_oecd_cache()

Examples

list_oecd_countries()