JERUSALEM—July 16, 2026—Databanks International on July 15 announced a major 2026 update to the Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive, a global research resource established in 1968 that allows scholars to compare change across countries and across time. Commonly abbreviated as CNTS, the archive now contains 2.2 million data points covering over 200 countries, 196 variables, and more than two centuries. The update adds or revises more than 70,000 data points and extends current coverage through 2025.
The archive supports comparative research on political instability, economic development, governance, social change, demographic trends, legislative systems, and conflict. Its combination of historical continuity and current annual data enables researchers to test long-term patterns rather than rely on isolated snapshots.
Published research authored or coauthored by five Nobel Prize-winning economists has cited or used the archive: Michael Kremer, Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt.
A distinctive record of domestic conflict
Among the archive’s distinctive features is its domestic-conflict event data, with measures of anti-government demonstrations, assassinations, general strikes, terrorism and guerrilla warfare, major government crises, purges, revolutions, and riots. Optional LINKS files, available for events from 2011 onward, connect recorded events directly to media-source documentation.
Built for research, teaching, and institutional access
Researchers can extract customized datasets by country, year, and variable. The archive is available through academic library subscriptions as well as individual and team licenses. Annual library subscribers receive access through institutional IP ranges, with supporting files and updates included.
For subscription and licensing information, visit https://www.cntsdata.