OECD Data Explorer

Base URL

https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest

Endpoints 6

• GET/data/{agency},{dataflow},{versie}/{sleutel}Data (SDMX API 1). Key: one position per dimension (without time), dots between, + for several codes, empty = all. Example: OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M,1.0/NLD+DEU.UNE_LF_M.PT_LF_SUB._Z.Y._T.Y_GE15._Z.M
• GET/v2/data/dataflow/{agency}/{dataflow}/{versie}/{sleutel}Data (SDMX API 2): one code per dimension, * as wildcard, time with c[TIME_PERIOD]=ge:2018+le:2024. Version + = latest.
• GET/dataflow/allAll 1,550 dataflows with id, agency, version and name (10 MB as JSON with Accept application/vnd.sdmx.structure+json).
• GET/dataflow/{agency}/{dataflow}/{versie}?references=allOne dataflow with data structure, code lists and concepts: the order of the dimensions and all codes.
• GET/availableconstraint/{agency},{dataflow},{versie}/{sleutel}/all/{dimensie}Which codes of one dimension have data for this key, plus the number of observations (obs_count). Handy to find the right MEASURE code.
• GET/codelist/{agency}/{codelijst}Code list with names, e.g. /codelist/OECD/CL_AREA (countries and areas, 576 kB JSON).

Filtering tested

Series key in the path: codes in dimension order, dots between, + for several codes, empty for all. Time with startPeriod/endPeriod or lastNObservations.

Parameters 10

Columns in format=csvfile (monthly unemployment) 9

Limits and pitfalls

• Calls in quick succession get a 429. Back off (15, 30, 45 s) and rather ask for several countries at once with +. experience
• The OECD announced a limit on data downloads in November 2024 (page 'API best practices'; search results mention 60 per hour). That page on www.oecd.org returned 403 to us, so we did not read the number ourselves. experience
• No key needed. Send Accept-Encoding: gzip; dataflow/all is 10 MB. tested
• No result = HTTP 404 with the plain text NoResultsFound, not an empty list. tested
• An unknown parameter (e.g. lang=en) returns 403 with the list of allowed parameters: startPeriod, endPeriod, updatedAfter, firstNObservations, lastNObservations, dimensionAtObservation, detail, includeHistory, asOf (format also works). tested
• Wrong number of dimensions in the key: availableconstraint returns 403 'Not enough key values in query, expecting 9 got 11'; data just returned NoResultsFound. Count the dots. tested
• Codes in the default view do not always match the data: the metadata named UNE_M, the data use UNE_LF_M. Ask availableconstraint for the MEASURE dimension. tested
• Accept-Language: * (the Node fetch default) returns HTTP 500 'Internal server error', on structure and data queries (measured with curl: without that header 200, with it 500; a response already in the OECD cache does get through). Set Accept-Language: en yourself. According to the manual the SDMX-CSV separator also depends on Accept-Language (sometimes ;). tested
• If you leave a dimension empty you get all variants mixed (for hours worked: all workers and employees only). Choose every dimension deliberately. experience
• CSV rows are not sorted by country or period. csvfilewithlabels has a different header (STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE_ID, with a name column next to every code). tested
• Dataflows sometimes point to an older structure version; without a version in the path (SDMX API 1) or with + (API 2) you get the latest, which is not always backwards compatible. from the description
• The Data Explorer has a 'Developer API' button per table with exactly the call for your selection. from the description

Try it HTTP 200 · 1,242 ms · 16 Oct

https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M,1.0/NLD+DEU+BEL.UNE_LF_M.PT_LF_SUB._Z.Y._T.Y_GE15._Z.M?lastNObservations=2&format=csvfile

DATAFLOW,REF_AREA,MEASURE,UNIT_MEASURE,TRANSFORMATION,ADJUSTMENT,SEX,AGE,ACTIVITY,FREQ,TIME_PERIOD,OBS_VALUE,BASE_PER,OBS_STATUS,UNIT_MULT,DECIMALS
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),BEL,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-08,5.9,,A,0,1
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),BEL,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-07,6,,A,0,1
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),DEU,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-08,4,,A,0,1
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),DEU,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-07,4,,A,0,1
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),NLD,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-08,4,,A,0,1
OECD.SDD.TPS:DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M(1.0),NLD,UNE_LF_M,PT_LF_SUB,_Z,Y,_T,Y_GE15,_Z,M,2026-07,4,,A,0,1

Shortened response, saved at harvest time. Click the URL for the real, current response.