# Our World in Data API: Get statistic > Finds the Our World in Data chart that best matches a statistic and returns its country-by-year numeric values, definition and source. Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Our World in Data. - Page: https://fous.com/methods/ourworldindata.org/get-statistic - Method: `ourworldindata.org/get_statistic`, version 1 - Website: ourworldindata.org - Returns: chart title, unit, definition, source, chart link, values by country and year - Effect: read (it gets data and changes nothing) - Sign-in: none needed - Cost: 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free - Verified: Nov 2, 2026 ## Inputs | Field | Type | Required | In the run below | Description | |---|---|---|---|---| | `to_year` | integer | no | `2020` | Last year to include. Example: 2020. Defaults to the latest available year. | | `countries` | string | no | `"France, Germany"` | Country names separated by commas. Example: France, Germany. Defaults to World. Default "World". | | `from_year` | integer | no | `2018` | First year to include. Example: 2000. Defaults to the earliest available year. | | `statistic` | string | yes | `"life expectancy"` | The statistic to measure, in plain words. Example: life expectancy. | ## Output From a run on Oct 23, 2026, shortened. Its input: ```json { "to_year": 2020, "countries": "France, Germany", "from_year": 2018, "statistic": "life expectancy" } ``` Its output: ```json { "unit": "years", "source": "Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data", "values": [ { "year": 2018, "value": 82.5682, "country": "France" }, { "year": 2019, "value": 82.7304, "country": "France" }, { "year": 2020, "value": 82.1993, "country": "France" } ], "chart_link": "https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy", "definition": "Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.", "chart_title": "Life expectancy" } ``` ## Run it From code, with a Fous API key in `FOUS_API_KEY`; the answer's `data` holds the output: ```bash curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"method":"ourworldindata.org/get_statistic","input":{"to_year":2020,"countries":"France, Germany","from_year":2018,"statistic":"life expectancy"}}' ``` From an AI agent connected to the Fous MCP server: its `run` with the same method and input. To connect one, give it `set up https://fous.com/SKILL.md`. ## Ask your agent - Get the yearly CO2 emissions per capita for Japan and South Korea from 1990 to 2015, with the source and definition. - I need life expectancy at birth for Brazil, Nigeria and India across 1960 through 2019, values by country and year. - Pull the share of population living in extreme poverty for Kenya between 2000 and 2018, including the chart link. - What is the global child mortality rate by year up to 2010? Include the unit and data source. - Show me renewable electricity share of total generation for Germany, Spain and Denmark from 2005 to the latest year available on ourworldindata.org. ## Input schema ```json { "type": "object", "required": [ "statistic" ], "properties": { "to_year": { "type": "integer", "description": "Last year to include. Example: 2020. Defaults to the latest available year." }, "countries": { "type": "string", "default": "World", "description": "Country names separated by commas. Example: France, Germany. Defaults to World." }, "from_year": { "type": "integer", "description": "First year to include. Example: 2000. Defaults to the earliest available year." }, "statistic": { "type": "string", "description": "The statistic to measure, in plain words. Example: life expectancy." } } } ``` ## Output schema ```json { "type": "object", "required": [ "chart_title", "chart_link", "values" ], "properties": { "unit": { "type": [ "string", "null" ] }, "source": { "type": [ "string", "null" ] }, "values": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "year": { "type": "integer" }, "value": { "type": "number" }, "country": { "type": "string" } } } }, "chart_link": { "type": "string" }, "definition": { "type": [ "string", "null" ] }, "chart_title": { "type": "string" } } } ``` ## See more - [World Bank API: Get country statistic](https://fous.com/methods/data.worldbank.org/get-country-statistic.md): Looks up a World Bank statistic for a country and returns its annual values and latest value for the selected years. - [World Bank API: Compare countries by a statistic](https://fous.com/methods/worldbank.org/compare-countries.md): Ranks countries by a World Development Indicators statistic for a given year, or for the latest year with broad country coverage. Regional aggregates and countries without data for that year are left out. - [World Health Organization API: Get country health statistics](https://fous.com/methods/who.int/get-country-health-statistics.md): Gets the latest WHO value of a health statistic for a country, with sex-specific values, the regional value for the same year, and up to 10 years of history. - [European Union API: Get Eurostat statistic for a country](https://fous.com/methods/ec.europa.eu/get-statistic.md): Looks up an official Eurostat statistic for an EU or EEA country and the EU27 figure for the same period. Quarterly and half-yearly series return the reporting period that contains a requested month. - [IMF API: Get economic forecast](https://fous.com/methods/imf.org/get-economic-forecast.md): Gets World Economic Outlook figures for a country or region by year, labelled as actual or forecast. Measures the IMF does not publish for a year are null. - [FRED API: Get economic indicator](https://fous.com/methods/fred.stlouisfed.org/get-economic-indicator.md): Gets a public FRED economic series by plain name or series ID, with its observations, latest value and source details. - [Trading Economics API: List countries by indicator](https://fous.com/methods/tradingeconomics.com/list-countries-by-indicator.md): Compares the latest reported value of an economic indicator across countries in a region, highest first. World includes all listed countries; Australia uses the Oceania region. - [Kworb API: Get YouTube music chart](https://fous.com/methods/kworb.net/get-youtube-music-chart.md): Gets Kworb's latest YouTube music chart, worldwide or for one country, ordered by daily views. The worldwide chart covers the past 24 hours. Country charts report daily track streams.