The Global Macro Database

MATLAB Package

Link to paper

This repository complements the paper, Müller, Xu, Lehbib, and Chen (2025), which introduces a panel dataset of 46 core macroeconomic variables (provided as 77 harmonized series) across 239 countries and territories from historical records beginning in the year 1086 until 2025, including projections through the year 2031.

Features

• Unparalleled Coverage: Combines data from 35 contemporary sources (e.g., IMF, World Bank, OECD) and 132 historical datasets, totaling 167 sources.
• Extensive Variables: GDP, inflation, government finance, trade, employment, interest rates, and more.
• Harmonized Data: Resolves inconsistencies and splices all available data together.
• Scheduled Updates: Regular releases ensure data reliability.
• No Dependencies: Pure MATLAB, including a built-in reader for the Stata .dta files the project publishes.
• Accessible Formats: Provided in .dta, .csv and as Stata/Python/R/MATLAB/Julia package.

Installation

Requires MATLAB R2020b or newer.

Download via website | Download from GitHub Releases

Option 1: Install as Toolbox Add-On (recommended)

Download Global-Macro-Database.mltbx from GitHub Releases, then double-click to install as a MATLAB Add-On.

% After installation, use it directly:
df = globalmacrodata.gmd();

Option 2: Clone and add to path

% Clone the repository and add it to the MATLAB path
addpath('Global-Macro-Database-Matlab')

% Use the package
df = globalmacrodata.gmd();

Option 3: Build from source

% From the repository root:
outFile = package_toolbox();
% Then double-click the generated Global-Macro-Database.mltbx

Usage

% Get data from the latest available version
df = globalmacrodata.gmd();

% Get data from a specific version
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('version', '2026_09');

% List all available versions
globalmacrodata.gmd('version', 'list');

% Get data for a specific country
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('country', 'USA');

% Get data for multiple countries
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('country', {'USA', 'CHN', 'DEU'});

% Get specific variables
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('variables', {'rGDP', 'infl', 'unemp'});

% Restrict the year range
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('variables', 'rGDP', 'start_year', 1990, 'end_year', 2020);

% Get raw data for a single variable
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('variables', 'rGDP', 'raw', true);

% Cache the download locally for faster reloads
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('variables', 'rGDP', 'fast', true);

% Print available variables, or load them as a table
globalmacrodata.gmd('vars', 'list');
varTable = globalmacrodata.gmd('vars', 'load');

% Print available countries, or load them as a table
globalmacrodata.gmd('country', 'list');
countryTable = globalmacrodata.gmd('country', 'load');

% Access data from a specific source (e.g., IMF World Economic Outlook)
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('sources', 'IMF_WEO');

% Access specific variables from a source
df = globalmacrodata.gmd('sources', 'IMF_WEO', 'variables', 'nGDP');

% List all available sources, or load the full source list as a table
globalmacrodata.gmd('sources', 'list');
sourceTable = globalmacrodata.gmd('sources', 'load');

% Get BibTeX citation for a specific source
globalmacrodata.gmd('cite', 'GMD');

% Load the full citation list as a table
bibTable = globalmacrodata.gmd('cite', 'load');

% Combine parameters
df = globalmacrodata.gmd( ...
    'country', {'USA', 'CHN'}, ...
    'variables', {'rGDP', 'unemp', 'CPI'});

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
variables	char or cellstr	Variable code(s) to include (e.g., 'rGDP' or {'rGDP', 'unemp'})
country	char or cellstr	ISO3 country code(s) (e.g., 'SGP' or {'MRT', 'SGP'}). Use 'list' to print or 'load' to return the country table
version	char	Dataset version in format 'YYYY_MM' (e.g., '2026_09'). Use 'current' for the latest version, 'list' to see all available versions
start_year	numeric	Keep only rows with year >= start_year
end_year	numeric	Keep only rows with year <= end_year
raw	logical	If true, download raw source-level data for a single variable
vars	char	'list' to print available variables with definitions and units, 'load' to return them as a table
sources	char	'load' to load the source list, 'list' to print sources, or a source name (e.g., 'IMF_IFS') to load that source's data. Combine with variables to load only specific variables from that source
cite	char	'load' to load the citation list, or a source key (e.g., 'GMD') to display its BibTeX
fast	logical	If true, cache the dataset locally for faster reloading
iso	logical	If true, alias for country='list'
network	char	Pass 'yes' to force the fetch when network detection has failed

raw, fast, and iso also accept the boolean-like strings yes/no/true/false/on/off/1/0; any other value raises an error instead of being silently treated as true.

Helper functions are also available:

• globalmacrodata.get_available_versions() — list all data vintages
• globalmacrodata.get_current_version() — get the latest version string
• globalmacrodata.list_variables() — print the variable table
• globalmacrodata.list_countries() — print the country table

Citation

When using the Global Macro Database, please cite the following NBER Working Paper:

Müller, K., Xu, C., Lehbib, M., & Chen, Z. (2025). The Global Macro Database: A New International Macroeconomic Dataset (NBER Working Paper No. 33714).

@techreport{mueller2025global,
    title = {{The Global Macro Database: A New International Macroeconomic Dataset}},
    author = {Müller, Karsten and Xu, Chenzi and Lehbib, Mohamed and Chen, Ziliang},
    institution = {National Bureau of Economic Research},
    type = "Working Paper",
    series = "Working Paper Series",
    number = "33714",
    year = "2025",
    month = "April",
    doi = {10.3386/w33714},
    URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w33714",
}

Documentation

You can find the Technical Appendix on the official website.

Please visit this repository to access the project source code.

Authors

• Riccardo Dal Cero (Leibniz Institute for Financial Research (SAFE)) - dalcero@safe-frankfurt.de

License & Terms of Use

This repository and the bundled metadata shipped with the package are available for non-commercial use only. By using this package, you agree to the terms in LICENSE and the terms of use outlined on the GMD website.

For license enquiries, please email kmueller@globalmacrodata.com.