Data access

On this page

• General access and limitations
• Access to GBD 2021 resources

General access and limitations

Eligibility and access levels: Non-commercial users may use IHME data to improve health policy and practice. Our research and analysis may be freely explored on our website, and interactive data visuals are available. Commercial organizations wishing to acquire a license to access and download IHME data should contact [email protected].

Download limits: The current maximum limit for a single data request through the GBD Results tool is 100,000 rows of data. If you are attempting to select data and receive the warning that you have selected too many parameters, you can try revising your search to reduce the number of results. For example, try selecting fewer years, locations, causes, or age groups. Once you have reached the download limit, you will be restricted from downloading more data and directed to a form to request an increase to your download limit.

Data access request process: All users may request an increase to the download limit by completing a request form. If approved, increases for public users are granted in increments of 100,000 rows at a time. GBD Collaborators may qualify for access to a Collaborator-specific version of the GBD Results tool with larger download limits.

Approval process: Users wishing to request permission to download additional rows of data may complete a request form. The following information should be included in the request:

• A detailed explanation for why these data are needed.
• Details about the data the user plans to download, if approved. This includes one or more of the following:
  • Measures (e.g., deaths, DALYs)
  • Diseases (e.g., HIV/AIDS, diabetes)
  • Locations (e.g., countries, regions, states)
  • Ages (e.g., 0–4 years, 5–14 years)
  • Sexes (e.g., male, female, both)
  • Years (e.g., 2010–2023)
• A description of how the user intends to use the data

Requests for data for global publications: We are unable to approve requests from the public for increased download limits to author global-level papers. A global GBD paper reports the official GBD estimates across all or most countries for a specific outcome or group of outcomes – such as a cause of death or disability, a risk factor, or a global health theme like Socio-demographic Index, healthy life expectancy, population, or under-5 mortality. Global papers can include estimates for the “Global” location, or they may present national-level estimates for all or most countries, or both. We restrict the creation of independent global papers using GBD results, in accordance with the publication policy for Collaborators, as we strive to ensure quality control, prevent duplication of effort with planned publications, and maintain data security standards. GBD Collaborators interested in writing global papers should review guidelines on the Collaborator Portal.

Requests for data for other publications, including national- and regional-level papers: We will review and may approve requests for increased download limits to write other types of scientific papers, including national- and regional-level papers.

Email verification: To improve service reliability and security, we do not accept registrations or requests from certain unverified email domains. We recommend using an institutional email address.

Compliance: In accordance with US law, we are unable to facilitate data downloads for users or institutions currently subject to US sanctions.