On the first day of January 2015 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will provide all its online data free-of-charge to all who access it, indicated Christine Lagarde on Tuesday at the Second IMF Statistical Forum.
"This will help all those who draw on our data make better use of this vital statistical resource - from budget numbers to balance of payments data, debt statistics to critical global indicators," said Largarde.
A lot of the IMF's data is largely available for free including the data that supports the main forecasts for the global economy in the World Economic Outlook.
"We very much recognize the importance of data as a public good," noted Lagarde. "In this context, we are upgrading our data platforms and improving the way we distribute data and statistic to our membership throughout the world." The IMF publishes a range of time series data on IMF lending, exchange rates, and other economic and financial indicators. It most recently updated the IMF International Financial Statistic, a publication that almost every member country subscribes to.