51 Places to Find Stats and Ideas for your Next Infographic

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Having trouble finding stats and ideas for your next infographic?

Finding a relevant, interesting topic and accurate statistics can be a challenging task. Sometimes it seems impossible to know where to look and who to trust.

But don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for!

I have compiled a list of 51 places to find inspiration and gather trustworthy statistics. Use these tools to maximize your infographic views with accurate, fascinating content your viewers will love.

Search Engines

I know this may seem like an obvious one, but search engines have many tools that can help you find ideas and stats for your infographics. Yes we can still use the traditional search methods of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. But in today’s online world, search engines can do so much more. I’m going to use Google as my example but each search engine has its own tools and applications that you should try.

1. Traditional Search


This is probably the most popular choice when it comes to finding content for infographics. If you’re looking for specific statistics, Google or another search engine is still a great method. I would recommend typing in “____ + statistics” or “______ + studies” when looking for data. Searching for case studies on your industry is also an effective way to find relevant content.

2.  Google News


News is a great tool to find or refine a topic for your infographic. If, for example, you want to do an infographic that’s social media related, searching “social media” in Google News will show you the latest stories or articles on social media from around the world. If it’s newsworthy maybe you should be writing about it!

3. Google Scholar


A simple way to broadly search for scholarly articles, studies, books or statistics. All documents are ranked according to their author, publication, and how often they’re cited. Google Scholar helps you go in-depth on a particular topic with trustworthy, peer-reviewed data.

4. Google Public Data Explorer


Public Data Explorer allows you to examine large, public-interest data in a simple and visual way. When you search for a certain topic or dataset, the database pulls together results from public sources around the world such as the World Bank, Eurostats, etc. You can then narrow or expand your search to statistics from your community, country or the world and compare different places. I love that you can examine the change in a statistic over time or look at future forecasts.

I have shown an example of this tool below. I was interested in doing a comparative study on the number of self-employed workers in Canada versus the US and Australia

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I narrowed the timeline to a range of 2000 to 2014, and we can see Canada experienced the largest decrease in self-employment during the 2008/2009 recession (falling from 15.4% to 9.5%).

With this tool you can easily broaden or narrow your search by country, region, income level and gender.

5. Google Images


Doing an image search is a great way to come up with ideas for your next infographic. By image searching “Infographics” I am given thousands of examples which may spark creativity as to what I should create. Narrow this further by adding other keywords. For example, if you wanted to create an infographic for marketing a fitness service you could search “fitness marketing infographics.” You can use old infographics for inspiration! Try revamping old topics with new, updated data.

6. Google Trends


Google Trends is a public web tool based off of Google Search. It allows you to look up a certain search-term and shows how often it has been entered relative to the total search volume. You can compare the trends in different parts of the world, and then look at how that search item has done on web search, image search, news search, shopping search or Youtube search.

There’s a section labelled “hot searches” which shows major topics people are currently interested in. “Top charts” also shows the most searched items in specific categories over the past year.

I was interested in uncovering how Pinterest’s popularity has changed over the past few years in Canada, the US and Australia to see if it’s still as relevant. The example below shows how this data was presented to me in Google Trends.

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It shows us that the public’s interest in Pinterest in Canada and the US peaked at the end of 2011, but In Australia it’s still rising. When you’re looking for infographic topics, what’s on trend is crucial so this tool can be very helpful.

Published Content

7. Trade Journals


These will obviously depend on which industry you’re in, but they’re a great source for new and trending ideas. Almost every industry has some sort of trade journal or magazine to help you discover infographic ideas relevant to your customers. For example, if you’re a gym owner and you Google “fitness trade journals” you’re given multiple sources of information containing statistics.

8. Blogs


Scouring other blogs in your business area can provide you with plenty of ideas for your infographic. Search for blogs in your industry or use a tool such as blogsearchengine.com to look for articles on certain topics. Try to find blogs rich in data to use as a statistical resource for your infographic.

Social Media Sites

Nowadays, people turn to social media to learn the latest breaking news.  As soon as one person learns about a new trend or news story, it’s destined to make its rounds on social media in just minutes. So who’s to say you shouldn’t listen to the masses when looking for an infographic idea?

9. Twitter


Twitter is a great source as it’s constantly being updated with what people are thinking, doing, or wanting to know. You can look at trending topics, search for certain terms or look at what experts in your industry have Tweeted for inspiration. If I owned a health food store and needed content for my infographic, a simple Twitter search for “health food trends” gives me thousands of Tweets and articles on this subject. I can browse through and see what people are talking about, as this is what my customers would be interested in. I can also type “healthyfood” without any spaces and am shown the following:

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With this I can look at popular hashtags, recent news, and photos or videos regarding healthy food.

10. Facebook


Review fans’ engagement with your recent status updates and posts on your company page. Treat your page like a focus group and look at which posts have the most likes, comments or shares. This will give you a good indication of what content your Fans are enjoying. You can also look at competitors’ posts to find captivating content that you could present in statistical form.

11. LinkedIn


Look at recent topics, discussions and questions that people have posted in groups you’re a member of. Also look at what comments your audience has posted to your content. You could even have a post asking what people want to see from you next.

12. Pinterest


Pinterest can be used to browse thousands of infographics on just about any topic under the sun. Just by searching “search engine optimization infographics” I am given thousands of examples. I can then look through and see if any help me come up with ideas for my own infographic. I can also look and see which topics are too common, which I should avoid.

13. Google+


Use Google+ to find out what’s trending in your home menu under “Explore.” It displays popular posts, trending topics, keywords and hashtags which may help inspire you with new infographic ideas. Also search through communities related to your industry to find the latest relevant articles or posts.

14. Quora


This Q&A website is where questions are created, answered, edited, and organized by users. You can ask the Quora community for new, exciting topics that are interesting them or that they’d like to see as an infographic. Look at what other questions have been posed in regards to a certain topic or pose a question yourself (and it can be anonymous). If i was a blogger specializing in conversion optimization I may pose the question below:

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Government Agencies

Government agencies have extremely accurate statistics on their countries and the people in them. Depending on your industry and how wide or narrow you want the statistics in your infographic to be, they’re a great place to look to for help. I have listed some Canadian and American government agencies that I use for demographic, economic, or business statistics. if you live outside of Canada and the US check if your country has the equivalent!

15. USA.gov


This is a great site if you’re looking for American statistics on a multitude of topics. Find data on economics, technology, health, families, the environment, the justice system and so on with the U.S. government’s official web portal.

16. US Census Bureau


This agency has data on poverty, industries, employment, housing, etc from its frequent nationwide surveys and the census it completes every 10 years. Their website also houses a number of data tools and helpful infographics they’ve created out of their own data. Be sure to check this one out!

17. US Small Business Administration


Find data on specific industries or general business statistics. This site also has categories of statistics regarding trade, income and economics. If you’re in a smaller industry looking for data, this may be a good place for you!

18. Statistics Canada


Canada’s National Statistical Agency is the best place you can look for accurate, recent data on Canadian topics. It has, in fact been considered the best statistical agency in the world multiple times. With over 30 different subjects to browse through, like immigration or science and technology, you’re sure to find something that grabs your attention.

19. Your State/Provincial Website


If you’re looking for more localized statistics, check out your state or province run statistical site. For example, I can discover information specifically about Washington State or British Columbia by going to their government websites.

International Organizations

If you’re looking to create your next topic on an international topic or compare countries in certain subject areas, international organizations provide clear statistical data. There are many websites you can use to analyze specific factual info in areas like healthcare, trade and economics, however I have just listed a few you should try.

20. WHO


The World Heath Organization is a great, specific source if your infographic or business is health related. I can search for worldwide data on road safety, tobacco, or diseases. I can also look into country specific healthcare stats. For example, by searching Canada I was provided with the information below, and had the option of downloading specific reports on alcohol, tobacco and nutrition in Canada.

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21. The World Bank


Search by topic or by country through these comprehensive databases and map indicators. The site is easy to navigate, and hosts a vast collection of useful information.

22. IMF


The International Monetary Fund publishes time series data on lending, exchange rates and economic and financial indicators. If you’re looking for economic statistics this is a great international site. I found plenty of real estate data comparing countries on the IMF, such as the graph below, which I would find useful as a real estate agent or broker in one of these nations.

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23. UNICEF


UNICEF hosts accurate data on many topics as seen below. If you need statistics on anything to do with women and children, UNICEF is a very reputable and reliable source.

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24. OECD


The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development houses multiple databases on each of its member countries, ranging from finance to education to agriculture. You can export data and easily create charts and graphs on the OECD stat extracts site.

25. WTO

The World Trade Organization provides extensive access to trade and tariff data from all over the world. An extremely helpful site if you’re dealing with cross-border topics as you can analyze trade between specific countries or look into partnerships and treaties.

26. Eurostat


If you’re looking for European-based statistics, this agency is run by the European Commission. It provides statistical information on EU member and candidate countries.

27. StatsAPEC


Gain information on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or narrow in on member countries on this site. It gives information on GDP, stocks, population etc.

Your Company, Customers, Competitors

When trying to think of where to look for ideas, many people forget to look directly at what’s going on around them. Your company, customers and competitors may provide you with the inspiration you need.

28. Your Customer Service Team


If applicable, ask your customer service or support team what questions they’ve been receiving from customers. They may have noticed a trend in questions or comments on a specific topic, which could mean it’s something worthy of an infographic.

29. Your Customers


Ask customers what they want to learn more about and create an infographic on the most popular answer. They will love being able to give their opinion and have a role in your business. You can also create a short survey with a few questions asking customers what they love about your business and what else they want to learn about. Getting feedback can provide you with ideas that you never would’ve thought of as an infographic topic!

30. Your Blog


If you have a blog or write articles around your business, look into which posts get the most traffic or shares. If one of your articles seems to have everyone talking or did in the past, an infographic is a great way to restart that discussion or keep it going.

31. Your Competitors


I’m not saying to look at what others in your industry are doing and copy it; that would be unoriginal imitation. Instead, look at what they’ve been writing about and see if anything has generated a large reaction from customers or if it sparks an idea in your own brain. It’s possible you can beat them in the infographic game and present similar information in a new, visually appealing way. Look to competitors for inspiration, don’t just imitate!

News/Trend Websites

If you want your infographic to be a web hit, it needs to be on something that people are just starting to talk about. Browsings news and trends websites can give you a glimpse into what’s hot and what people will want to see in infographic form.

32. Mashable


One of my personal favorites, Mashable has the latest on everything social media, entertainment, tech, business or world news related. The site is constantly updated, and just browsing through it can trigger tons of new infographic ideas.

33. TrendHunter


Like its slogan says, “Find better ideas, faster.” This is another trend collection site, focusing on just about any topic under the sun. If you’re looking for a fun, creative idea I would check this one out.

34. TED


Ideas.ted.com is a great place to look for articles on relevant topics in relation to what’s currently happening in the world. It’s worth looking into for information on important global issues and other “ideas worth spreading.”

35. Buzzsumo


This content discovery tool lets you view trending topics in any specific industry, saving you hours of searching for a hot idea.  It provides you with the latest news in your industry and displays highly viewed and shared articles relating to your topic. It also ranks articles based on their quantity of shares on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ (as seen below). If you want to diversify your content, this is a great tool to help you find new ideas.

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36. Digg


It’s slogan is “What the internet is talking about right now.” If the internet is talking about it, maybe you should be too! Digg displays the most talked about stories on the Internet from publishers all over the world. Easily find ideas that you can use in an infographic to market your business.

37. Flipboard


This newsreading tool is the perfect way to organize content from social media sites, blogs, and any other websites relevant to your topic or industry. It allows you to collect your favorite resources in one place, presenting them in a magazine format. You can then “flip”  through and stay connected with the news stories you care about.

Stats Websites

If you’re looking for statistics, these may seem like the obvious first place to look. There are tons of statistic websites out there so I have listed a few that I think may be helpful for you and your infographic!

38. Socialbakers


If you’re looking for ocial media stats, this is the website you need to know about. Get the latest statistics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and Google+ either for your specific country or the world. You can look at the overall popularity of certain pages or segment by brands, media, entertainment, sport, celebrities, society, community or places.

In the example below, I chose to look at Facebook stats for brand pages. I wanted to look at the fastest growing brand pages today in the United States. As you can see Michael Kors has an increase of 26,029 Fans today.

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Socialbakers also allows you to look at the top pages in the world or in a specific country. I chose the sports tab under Twitter to see what the most popular sport organizations are worldwide (as seen below).

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39. Worldometers


This site is a live, real-time counter that gives you data on world population, resources, health issues, and finances up to the minute. It takes data from very reputable sources around the world and updates the stats according to its algorithm. An interesting site if you want up-to-the-minute worldwide stats!

40. Geohive


If it’s population statistics you’re after, this site has current, historical, and forecasted populations for countries and cities worldwide. It also houses geopolitical data such as administrative divisions. For example, from Geohive I discovered that Delhi, India, with a population of over 21 million in 2010, is expected to nearly double to over 36 million by 2030.

41. Data Market


This easy-to-use site is a great place to explore data on economics, healthcare, agriculture, the retail industry and so forth. Their visual presentation is easy to understand and differentiates it from many other sites out there.

42. Gapminder


Gapminder provides you with a fact-based view of the world by showing data on a country’s aid, employment, democracy score, or number of natural disasters just to name a few. You can view data in either a graph or Excel spreadsheet.

43. Chartsbin


This site lets you view a wide range of statistical, interactive charts. You can easily compare countries around the world on various topics such as drugs and crime, economics, health, and the environment. An example on world coffee consumption can be seen below. By moving your cursor over a specific country, it gives you statistical data. One of my favorite resources!

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44. Gallup


This American research company constantly conducts public opinion polls in over 160 countries on the topics of politics, the economy, people’s well-being and world news. From this site you can gain up-to-date information and data on an array of topics. For example, from a poll published on August 14th I discovered that less than half (44%) of U.S. smokers with children under the age of 18 believe exposure to secondhand smoke is “very harmful” to adults.

Research Websites/ Case Studies

45. Pew Research Center


This site hosts unbiased facts to inform viewers about issues, trends, and attitudes in the US and around the world. It has information about hundreds of topics from public opinion polls and demographic research to media analysis. I can easily find statistics or stories on topics like religion, online dating, technology or college students. I recommend giving it a try!

46. Emarketer


While it does come with a pricetag, Emarketer is a great research resource. It provides insights and trends related to digital marketing, media and commerce. As a subscriber you gain access to case studies, industry reports, benchmarks and forecasting. It has high credibility as a source for information, so it may be worth the cost for your business.

47. Hubspot


When trying to market your business, Hubspot is a great resource to look to. They have multiple guides and collections of marketing statistics and tips which you may be able to implement into your infographic. They also have case studies which can give you ideas and stats for your topic.

Infographic websites

There are tons of infographic websites out there on the web, but I’ve decided to just give you a few of my favorites. Browse these sites for inspiration for your own infographic. You can also look at the sources posted below infographics to find statistical sources. If you’re going to look at others for motivation and ideas, I recommend you go with the following:

48. Visual.ly


One of the best infographic creation sites out there, Visual.ly lets you browse through thousands on topics ranging from animals to politics to technology. You can look at what’s popular in your industry by the number of views, comments, favorites and social media shares. If you’re looking for inspiration from well-made infographics, this is a great place to start.

49. Piktochart


This is a great resource for everything infographic related. Apart from being able to build your own with various templates, you can also browse the user showcase for ideas. It’s free to browse the collection, but using the platform itself does come with a fee. Also check out the Piktochart Pinterest page – it has over 3100 pins on 32 topic boards!

50 . Daily Infographic


With a new infographic every day, this is a good place to look for stats and ideas as you never know what you’ll find! You can use the search bar to find infographics on a specific topic or scan the nearly 30 categories of topics on everything from sports to eCommerce.

51. Infographaholic


Another resource to browse over 20 categories of well-designed infographics. Each one has its sources listed at the bottom. Super easy to use with its search tool and category listings!

Conclusion


Well there we go! 51 unique places to find stats and ideas for your next infographic. I hope this article provided you with some helpful insights for the next time you need help with your infographic.

Your topic and content will vary based on your sector, business and products but these are the best go-to places when starting your research. Finding a topic and accurate statistics isn’t always easy, but with the correct websites you’ll cut down on wasted time in the creation process.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to join the discussion below!

By Claire Grayston

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