The UIS is the primary source for internationally-comparable data in the fields of education, science, culture and communications.  

UIS data are used to produce almost every flagship UN report, such as the Human Development Report (UNDP), World Development Report (World Bank), and State of the World’s Children (UNICEF), to name a few. In addition, many global indices, such as the Human Development Index and the World Competitiveness Index, could not be calculated without UIS data.

The UIS also contributes data and analysis to major UNESCO initiatives and flagship reports, such as the Global Education Monitoring Report, the UNESCO Science Report and the UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity.

Examples of global databases and key indices that use UIS data:

Examples of global reports based on UIS data: