7 great statistics sites - visualizations, graphs, numbers

Bad statistics can be characterized by:

Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. (Aaron Levenstein)

79.48% of all statistics are made up on the spot. (John A. Paulos)

But let's talk good statistics now. Statistics that let you visualize things you couldn't imagine othervise, those which are worthy 1000 words. Here are my seven favourite, interesting, best statistics and visualisation web pages. I am sure you will enjoy them, too

1. NationMaster.com

Virtually any statistics you can imagine about countries in the world, you can be sure you'll be able to make them with NationMaster. Comparing population, density, weather, or more obscure parametres like "tea consumption" or "students from households with calculators under age 13" can be easily browsed and countries compared.

For advanced statistics, like cross-analysis, you need to buy a membership. Still, one of the best site of this kind. It gets its data mainly from CIA Factbook, that does sound spooky or trustworthy, but sometimes, there are minor mistakes. It's worth checking before you make a front-page revelation.

2. StatPlanet

"Interactive Visualisation Through Maps and Graphs" brings you all you wanted when you were browsing those old atlases in a book, wishing to find some clues about what country has and you cannot see it. Now you can.

3. Atlas of the Real World

Not exactly statistics, but interesting visualisation of the world map based on interesting comparisons. Computer (and I'm sure, artist, too) increased or decreased the size of countries so they compare on scale of: internet users, war deaths, number of people living on more than US$200 a day etc. Daunting and noteworthy! Check out other stuff from the same authors.

4. Gapminder

Please mind the gap! That goes not only to the London Tube, but to the world in general. And this sites is an excellent tool for teachers, researchers, NGOs or journalists to demonstrate the deep differences. The statistics are interactive so they can e.g. change as the time flows from 1990 to 2000. Really worth checking. Incredibly powerful tool!

5. Google public data

Google now allows to compare publicly available data, so far only from US, it seems. Very promising feature, though. And, as you know, Google Trends might come in handy, too.

6. Flowing Data

Every week, you can find loads of interesting visualisiton of anything, really. Better understanding of financial crisis? Online friendships? It's all there, professionaly designed and, it seems, statistically correct.

7. World meters

World statistics in a real time. You never realize how quick something is changing until you see it in real time.