The LSMS multi-purpose survey collects data on many dimensions of household and individual wellbeing to assess household welfare, understand hosuehold behavior and evaluate the effect of various government policies on the living conditions of people in low and middle-income countries. LSMS data are publicly available and open access: the full datasets are available in the World Bank's Microdata Catalog.
Living Standards Measurement Study
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DATA
Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA)
Through a unique system of longitudinal surveys, designed to improve the understanding of household and individual welfare, livelihoods and smallholder agriculture in Africa, this initiative has supported national statistical offices in Sub-Saharan Africa for 15 years.
High-Frequency Phone Surveys (LSMS-HFPS)
Initially launched to address data and knowledge gaps related to the COVID-19 pandemic, these surveys developed to facilitate routine monitoring of large-scale events, such as health emergencies or extreme weather occurrences, and their socioeconomic impacts on communities.
Plus (LSMS+)
This initiative supports policy and methodological research to improve the availability and quality of intra-household, self-reported and individual-disaggregated survey data in low- and middle-income countries on key dimensions of economic opportunities and welfare.
The 50x2030 Initiative to Close the Agricultural Data Gap
This multi-agency partnership aims to close the global agricultural data gap by developing an integrated and financially sustainable agricultural and rural survey program that fosters a culture of data use for decision-making in 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America by 2030.
