Health (v2.1)

DHS are large representative household surveys that provide data for a wide range of monitoring and impact evaluation indicators in the areas of population, health, and nutrition. Standard DHS Surveys have large sample sizes (usually between 5,000 and 30,000 households). Each survey consists of a household interview, in which basic information is collected on all household members, and separate women’s and men’s surveys. In the women’s survey, all usual resident women aged 15 to 49 are invited for an oral interview. The men’s surveys are generally smaller and show more variation across countries. In the interviews, information is obtained on socioeconomic, demographic, and (reproductive) health related issues. Since the 1980s over 300 DHS surveys have been held in all regions of the developing world. For most countries, several surveys have been held in different years, allowing comparisons over time. Producer of the DHS datasets is ICF International and major sponsor of the programme is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Further information is available at www.dhsprogram.com.

IPUMS-International is an effort of the Minnesota Population center of the University of Minneapolis to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facilitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system. The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems. Further information is available at international.ipums.org.

UNICEF supports countries to collect data on the situation of children and women through the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) programme. The MICS was originally developed in response to the World Summit for Children to measure progress towards an internationally agreed set of mid-decade goals. Since the initiation of the programme, several rounds of surveys have been carried out and close to 300 MICS have been carried out in more than 100 countries, generating data on key indicators on the well-being of children and women, and helping shape policies for the improvement of their lives. MICS has been a major source of data on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) indicators and will continue to be a major data source during the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to measure Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. Further information is available at mics.unicef.org.