FAOSTAT offers easy-to-access data on key agricultural and country indicators

Biotechnology and drones may be the most visible innovations in the world of agriculture, but spare a thought for new approaches to data dissemination. Data - costly to produce and often complex to communicate - is the key decision-support tool for policy makers.

FAOSTAT offers free, open and easy access to time-series and cross-sectional data starting from 1961 for 245 countries and territories.

In 2016, FAO launched a revamped FAOSTAT, making the world's most comprehensive statistical database on food, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, natural resources management and nutrition even more accessible for public use.

The updated web-based tool, includes a host of behind-the-scenes technological improvements as well as user-friendly innovations such as full compatibility with mobile devices and superior download options that significantly improve the overall user-experience.

Data visualization has been improved with the new tool, and it is now possible to download customized data sets, maps and charts that users could previously only browse.

The revamped FAOSTAT also introduces a new feature, presenting a set of ready-to-use key indicators - ranging from land use and food production to food access and government budget allocations for agriculture - by country, region and for the whole world.

Some of these indicators are those adopted to assess and measure progress towards the targets set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. FAO is the custodian of 21 key SDG indicators, and FAOSTAT will help monitor the international community's pledges to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

FAO STAT typically receives around 200 000 visits per month from national statisticians, government officials, researchers, the private sector, international agencies, civil society and the media from all over the world. 

FAOSTAT is easily accessible at: www.fao.org/faostat.