--- title: "Using `wdi2` to access World Development Indicators" output: rmarkdown::html_vignette vignette: > %\VignetteIndexEntry{Using `wdi2` to access World Development Indicators} %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8} --- ```{r, include = FALSE} knitr::opts_chunk$set( collapse = TRUE, comment = "#>" ) ``` ```{r setup} library(wdi2) ``` The `wdi2` package provides a modern and flexible interface for accessing the World Bank’s [World Development Indicators (WDI)](https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/). It improves upon existing packages by utilizing the `httr2` package for multi-page requests and enhanced error handling. With `wdi2`, you can download data for multiple indicators and countries in a single function call, benefit from progress bars, and receive the output in a tidy data format, making it ideal for further analysis. ## Installation You can install the released version of `wdi2` from CRAN via: ```{r} #| eval: false install.packages("wdi2") ``` To install the development version of `wdi2`, use: ```{r} #| eval: false pak::pak("tidy-intelligence/r-wdi2") ``` ## Listing supported indicators The `wdi2` package allows you to retrieve a full list of all supported indicators from the World Bank [Indicators API](https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/889392-about-the-indicators-api-documentation). Each indicator is accompanied by metadata such as its unit of measurement, source, and associated topics. ```{r} # Retrieve the list of supported indicators list_supported_indicators() ``` If you want to get more details such as source ID and topics, you can use the corresponding option: ```{r} # Retrieve the list of supported indicators with details list_supported_indicators(include_details = TRUE) ``` You can also get the list of supported indicators in a different language, or omit the progress bar. For example, to retrieve the indicators in Spanish: ```{r} # Retrieve indicators in Spanish list_supported_indicators(language = "es", include_details = TRUE, progress = FALSE) ``` To get the list of supported languages, call: ```{r} # List supported languages list_supported_languages() ``` Note that not all indicators might be translated into all languages. ## Listing supported Countries You can retrieve a list of all countries supported by the World Bank API along with metadata such as region, administrative region, income level, and lending type. ```{r} # Retrieve the list of supported countries list_supported_countries() ``` This information can also be requested in other languages. For example, to view the supported countries in Chinese: ```r # Retrieve countries in Chinese list_supported_countries(language = "zh") ``` ### Downloading indicator data With `wdi2`, you can download indicator data for multiple countries and indicators in a single function call. The function returns a tidy data frame with country, indicator, date, and value columns. For example, to download GDP per capita and total population for Mexico, Canada, and the United States: ```{r} # Download specific indicators for selected countries download_indicators(countries = c("MX", "CA", "US"), indicators = c("NY.GDP.PCAP.KD", "SP.POP.TOTL")) ``` If you need the same indicators for all countries, you can pass `"all"` as the `countries` parameter: ```r # Download indicators for all countries download_indicators(countries = "all", indicators = c("NY.GDP.PCAP.KD", "SP.POP.TOTL")) ``` ## Conclusion The `wdi2` package is designed to simplify the process of accessing and analyzing World Bank data. By offering features like multi-indicator downloads, progress bars, and flexible language support, `wdi2` is a robust tool for users who need access to World Development Indicators in a modern, tidy format. If you encounter any errors or have suggestions for improvements, please consider opening an issue in the package repository on [GitHub](https://github.com/tidy-intelligence/r-wdi2/issues).