107+ Free Public Datasets Every Actuary Should Know About

by Patrick Lee on 28 Feb 2026 in categories actuarial with tags data

Whether you're validating a mortality model, stress-testing reserving assumptions, exploring climate risk, or simply brushing up on a new practice area, access to good data is everything. The problem isn't that the data doesn't exist — it's that it's scattered across dozens of government agencies, international bodies, and academic institutions, each with their own formats and quirks.

I've spent time pulling together this curated reference: over 107 freely accessible, regularly updated datasets relevant to actuarial work. It covers UK sources in depth (the ONS, Bank of England, Environment Agency, and many more) and extends internationally to the US, Canada, Australia, the EU, and global bodies like the WHO, World Bank, and UN.

This isn't a lightweight listicle. It's meant to be a working reference — something you bookmark and come back to when you need data for a specific project. Every link points to an established, official source. Every description is drawn from the actual dataset documentation.

A few things to note before diving in:

  • All datasets listed here are free. Some require free registration (noted where applicable), but none require paid subscriptions.
  • CMI data is not included. The Continuous Mortality Investigation mortality projection models (e.g. CMI_2023) are the industry standard for UK pension scheme mortality assumptions, but they require an IFoA subscription. The ONS data they're partly derived from is included below.
  • Government URLs can change. If a link doesn't resolve, search the publisher's website for the dataset name — the dataset names and publishers are the stable identifiers.

Table of Contents

UK Datasets

  1. Mortality and Life Tables
  2. Population Projections
  3. Pension Statistics
  4. Road Traffic and Motor Insurance
  5. Crime Statistics
  6. Flood Risk and Climate
  7. Property Data
  8. Health and Disease
  9. Income and Earnings
  10. House Prices
  11. Inflation and Price Indices
  12. Interest Rates and Gilt Yields
  13. Student Loans
  14. Census and Population Estimates
  15. Migration and Births

International Datasets

  1. International Mortality and Life Tables
  2. Insurance and Claims Data
  3. International Health Data
  4. International Demographics and Population
  5. International Finance and Economics
  6. Pensions and Social Security
  7. Catastrophe and Climate Data
  8. Additional Specialist Sources

Reference

  1. Quick Reference by Actuarial Specialty
  2. Multi-Domain Data Portals
  3. Tips for Working with These Datasets

UK Datasets

1. Mortality and Life Tables

National Life Tables, United Kingdom — ONS Period life tables giving mortality rates (qx), survival probabilities, and life expectancy by single year of age and sex. Based on population estimates and death registrations. Separate tables for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Updated annually. ons.gov.uk — National Life Tables

Single Year Life Tables, England and Wales — ONS Historical single-year life tables from 1841 onwards. Invaluable for long-term mortality trend analysis. ons.gov.uk — Single Year Life Tables

Death Registrations Summary Tables, England and Wales — ONS Annual deaths by age, sex, and cause. Includes crude and age-standardised mortality rates. Also the primary source for leading causes of death analysis by ICD-10 chapter. Updated annually. ons.gov.uk — Death Registrations

Weekly Death Registrations, England and Wales — ONS Weekly provisional death counts by age group. Widely used for monitoring excess mortality during COVID-19 and remains a key real-time mortality indicator. ons.gov.uk — Weekly Deaths

Mortality Statistics by Cause of Death — ONS / NOMIS Detailed mortality by cause of death, age, sex, and area. Based on ICD-10 coding. NOMIS provides flexible query tools for custom tabulations. nomisweb.co.uk

Death Statistics, Scotland — National Records of Scotland Scottish death registrations, life tables, and mortality rates by age, sex, cause, and area. Separate from ONS England and Wales data. Includes quarterly and weekly provisional figures. nrscotland.gov.uk — Deaths

Death Statistics, Northern Ireland — NISRA Northern Ireland death registrations and mortality statistics by age, sex, and cause. nisra.gov.uk — Deaths

2. Population Projections

National Population Projections — ONS Principal and variant projections by single year of age and sex for the UK. Includes high/low fertility, mortality, and migration variants. Essential for longevity and demographic assumptions in pension valuations. Updated every two years. ons.gov.uk — National Population Projections

Subnational Population Projections — ONS Population projections by local authority, age, and sex. Useful for regional pension and insurance analysis. ons.gov.uk — Subnational Projections

3. Pension Statistics

Occupational Pension Schemes Survey (OPSS) — ONS Members, contributions, assets, and benefits by scheme type (DB/DC). Tracks the ongoing shift from defined benefit to defined contribution. Updated annually. ons.gov.uk — OPSS

Scheme Return Data — The Pensions Regulator Aggregated data from pension scheme returns including membership, funding levels, and demographics. Includes the Purple Book (PPF/TPR annual publication on the UK DB pensions landscape). thepensionsregulator.gov.uk — Scheme Return Data

Pensioners' Incomes Series — DWP Detailed analysis of pensioner incomes by source, age group, and family type. Key for understanding retirement income adequacy. gov.uk — Pensioners' Incomes

State Pension Statistics — DWP (via Stat-Xplore) Interactive tool providing state pension recipient data by age, amount, and geographical area. Also covers other DWP benefits. Free registration required. stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Family Resources Survey — DWP Major household survey covering income, pension participation, savings, disability, and housing costs. Sample of approximately 20,000 households per year. Microdata available via UK Data Service. gov.uk — Family Resources Survey

4. Road Traffic and Motor Insurance

STATS19 Road Safety Data — Department for Transport The definitive UK road accident dataset. Every injury road accident reported to police in Great Britain, with details of circumstances, vehicles, and casualties. Three linked tables: Accident, Vehicle, and Casualty. Georeferenced. data.gov.uk — Road Safety Data

Road Traffic Statistics — Department for Transport Traffic volume data (vehicle miles/kilometres) by road type, vehicle type, and region. Essential exposure denominators when analysing STATS19 data. gov.uk — Road Traffic Statistics

MOT Test Data — DfT / DVSA Anonymised MOT test results for all vehicles in Great Britain: make, model, year, mileage, test outcome, and failure reasons. Hundreds of millions of records. data.gov.uk — MOT Tests

5. Crime Statistics

Police Recorded Crime — Home Office / data.police.uk Street-level crime and outcome data for every police force in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each record includes crime type, approximate location, and outcome. Millions of records per year. data.police.uk

Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) — ONS Survey-based crime data including crimes not reported to police. Covers household crime, personal crime, and fraud/cybercrime, giving a broader picture than police-recorded data alone. ons.gov.uk — Crime Survey

6. Flood Risk and Climate

Environment Agency Flood Maps — Environment Agency Flood zone maps (Zones 1, 2, 3a, 3b), flood risk from rivers and sea, and surface water flood risk. Spatial data for England. Critical for property insurance pricing and exposure management. environment.data.gov.uk

Met Office HadUK-Grid — Met Office / CEDA Archive Gridded climate observations for the UK: temperature, rainfall, sunshine, wind, humidity. 1km resolution from 1836 to present. The definitive observational climate dataset for the UK. metoffice.gov.uk — HadUK-Grid

UK Climate Projections (UKCP) — Met Office Probabilistic climate projections for the UK under different emissions scenarios. Temperature, precipitation, sea level, wind. Essential for long-term climate risk assessment. metoffice.gov.uk — UKCP

SEPA Flood Maps, Scotland — Scottish Environment Protection Agency Flood risk maps for Scotland, covering river, coastal, and surface water flooding. sepa.org.uk — Flood Maps

7. Property Data

Price Paid Data — HM Land Registry Every residential property transaction in England and Wales since 1995. Includes price, date, postcode, property type (detached, semi, terraced, flat), new build flag, and tenure. Updated monthly. gov.uk — Price Paid Data

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Data — MHCLG EPC ratings for domestic and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales. Includes energy efficiency rating, floor area, wall type, heating type, and construction age. Over 20 million certificates. Free registration required. epc.opendatacommunities.org

8. Health and Disease

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Summary Data — NHS England Summary statistics on hospital admissions in England: admitted patient care, outpatient attendances, and A&E attendances. Published tables are freely available. digital.nhs.uk — HES

Health Survey for England (HSE) — NHS England / OHID Annual survey of approximately 8,000 adults and 2,000 children covering health behaviours (smoking, drinking, physical activity), measurements (BMI, blood pressure), and self-reported health conditions. digital.nhs.uk — HSE

Public Health Profiles (Fingertips) — NHS England / OHID Hundreds of health indicators at local authority level and above: life expectancy, mortality by cause, disease prevalence, health inequalities, and much more. fingertips.phe.org.uk

Cancer Registration Statistics — ONS / NHS England Cancer incidence by site, age, sex, and stage at diagnosis. England's cancer registration is among the most complete in the world. ons.gov.uk — Cancer Registration

Cancer Survival Statistics — ONS One-year and five-year cancer survival rates by cancer site, age, sex, and stage. Critical for assessing critical illness claim probabilities. ons.gov.uk — Cancer Survival

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) Prevalence Data — NHS England Disease prevalence rates at GP practice level for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD, mental health conditions, and many others. Covers most of England's GP-registered population. digital.nhs.uk — QOF

UKHSA Data Dashboard — UK Health Security Agency Public health surveillance data including COVID-19, respiratory viruses, vaccinations, and antimicrobial resistance. Replaced the original COVID-19 dashboard with broader health monitoring. ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk

9. Income and Earnings

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) — ONS The most detailed source of earnings data in the UK. Pay distributions by region, occupation, age, sex, industry sector, and full-time/part-time status. Based on a 1% sample of PAYE employees. ons.gov.uk — ASHE

Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income — ONS Shows original, gross, disposable, and post-tax income by decile. Useful for understanding income redistribution and inequality. ons.gov.uk — Taxes and Benefits

10. House Prices

UK House Price Index (UK HPI) — HM Land Registry / ONS The official UK house price index. Average prices by property type and area, monthly price changes, and volume of sales. Coverage across all four UK nations. gov.uk — UK HPI

11. Inflation and Price Indices

Consumer Price Inflation Tables — ONS CPI and CPIH monthly time series. Detailed indices by COICOP category (food, housing, transport, etc.). Essential for inflation-linked benefit calculations in pension schemes. ons.gov.uk — Consumer Price Inflation

RPI Reference Tables — ONS Long-running RPI time series from 1947 to present. Still widely used for index-linked benefits in pension schemes despite the planned reform of RPI. ons.gov.uk — RPI

12. Interest Rates and Gilt Yields

Bank of England Yield Curves — Bank of England Nominal and real (index-linked) government bond yield curves estimated daily. Spot rates, forward rates, and implied inflation term structure. Essential for discount rate setting and asset-liability matching in pension valuations. bankofengland.co.uk — Yield Curves

Bank Rate History — Bank of England Complete history of Bank Rate (base rate) changes. Simple but essential for economic modelling. bankofengland.co.uk — Bank Rate

Bank of England Statistical Interactive Database — Bank of England Comprehensive monetary and financial statistics: money supply, lending data, exchange rates, effective interest rates. Flexible query builder. bankofengland.co.uk — Statistics

DMO Gilt Data — UK Debt Management Office Details of all outstanding gilts (conventional and index-linked), including coupon, maturity date, amount outstanding, prices, and auction results. dmo.gov.uk — Gilt Data

13. Student Loans

Student Loans Company Statistics — SLC / DfE Statistics on student loan borrowers, repayments, outstanding balances by repayment plan, and demographic breakdowns. gov.uk — Student Loans

Student Loan Forecasts — OBR Long-term student loan forecasts including expected write-offs, RAB charge, and repayment profiles by cohort. obr.uk — Supplementary Forecast Information

14. Census and Population Estimates

Census 2021, England and Wales — ONS Full results from the 2021 Census. Population counts by age, sex, ethnicity, religion, health, disability, housing, qualifications, occupation, and more. Available down to output area level. ons.gov.uk — Census

Scotland Census 2022 — National Records of Scotland Scotland's census was delayed to 2022. Provides similar detail to the England and Wales census. scotlandscensus.gov.uk

Northern Ireland Census 2021 — NISRA Census results for Northern Ireland at detailed geographic levels. nisra.gov.uk — Census

Mid-Year Population Estimates — ONS Estimated population by single year of age and sex for the UK and constituent countries. The standard population denominator used across government statistics. Updated annually. ons.gov.uk — Mid-Year Estimates

Small Area Population Estimates — ONS Population estimates at LSOA, MSOA, and ward level. Enables very granular geographical analysis. ons.gov.uk — Small Area Estimates

15. Migration and Births

International Migration Statistics — ONS Long-term international migration estimates by citizenship, country of birth, and reason for migration. Now primarily based on administrative data sources. ons.gov.uk — International Migration

Birth Statistics — ONS Live births by mother's age, area, and parity. Includes total fertility rate (TFR) and age-specific fertility rates (ASFR). Important for population projection and pension scheme demographic modelling. ons.gov.uk — Birth Statistics

International Datasets

16. International Mortality and Life Tables

Human Mortality Database (HMD) — UC Berkeley / Max Planck Institute The gold standard for international mortality research. Detailed mortality and population data for over 40 countries, with data going back centuries for some. Includes period and cohort life tables, death counts, exposures, and death rates by single year of age. Free registration required. mortality.org

Human Life-Table Database (HLD) — Max Planck Institute / INED Collection of life tables from official national statistical offices. Broader country coverage than HMD (160+ countries, 700+ life tables) but less standardised processing. Free registration required. lifetable.de

US Social Security Administration — Period Life Tables — SSA US period life tables showing probability of death, survivors, and life expectancy by single year of age (0 to 119) and sex. ssa.gov — Period Life Tables

US Social Security Administration — Cohort Life Tables — SSA Cohort life tables showing historical and projected mortality for US birth cohorts. Invaluable for long-term pension and annuity valuations. ssa.gov — Cohort Life Tables

Statistics Canada — Life Tables — Statistics Canada Complete life tables for Canada by sex at national and provincial levels. statcan.gc.ca — Life Tables

Australian Bureau of Statistics — Life Tables — ABS Australian life tables including state/territory breakdowns, Indigenous life tables, and trend data going back to 1881-1890. abs.gov.au — Life Tables

WHO Mortality Database — World Health Organization Cause-of-death data reported by 120+ WHO member states, classified by age, sex, and ICD cause. The most comprehensive international source for cause-specific mortality. who.int — Mortality Database

Eurostat — Mortality and Life Expectancy — Eurostat Life tables, life expectancy, and detailed mortality statistics for all EU/EEA member states. Accessible via Eurostat's data browser. ec.europa.eu — Eurostat Demography

SOA Mortality Tables — Society of Actuaries Comprehensive library of mortality tables used in US and Canadian practice, including CSO tables, RP-2014/MP-2021 pension tables, and mortality improvement scales. The mort.soa.org tool allows table lookup, comparison, and download. mort.soa.org

17. Insurance and Claims Data

FARS — Fatality Analysis Reporting System — NHTSA (US) Census of all fatal traffic crashes in the United States since 1975. Over 30 data elements per record, including crash circumstances, vehicles, and persons involved. nhtsa.gov — FARS

CRSS — Crash Report Sampling System — NHTSA (US) Nationally representative sample of all police-reported crashes (not just fatal), covering approximately 50,000 crashes per year. Replaced the former General Estimates System (GES). nhtsa.gov — CRSS

NAIC Insurance Data — National Association of Insurance Commissioners (US) Aggregate insurance market data including market share reports, profitability by line of business, and state-level premium data. Some reports are freely available. naic.org — Statistical Data

APRA Insurance Statistics — Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Quarterly and annual statistics on the Australian insurance industry: general insurance (premium, claims, combined ratios by class), life insurance, and private health insurance. Individual insurer-level data also available. apra.gov.au — Insurance Statistics

EM-DAT International Disaster Database — CRED, Universite catholique de Louvain Comprehensive database of natural and technological disasters worldwide since 1900. Over 26,000 disasters with data on deaths, injuries, affected population, and economic damages. Free registration required. emdat.be

NOAA Storm Events Database — NOAA (US) Records of significant weather events in the US from 1950 to present: tornadoes, hail, floods, hurricanes, and winter storms. Includes property damage estimates and fatalities. Over 48 event types tracked. ncei.noaa.gov — Storm Events

IBTrACS — International Best Track Archive — NOAA The most complete global collection of tropical cyclone track data, merging data from all regional meteorological agencies. Includes position, intensity, wind radii, and pressure for every known tropical cyclone. ncei.noaa.gov — IBTrACS

Insurance Information Institute Facts and Statistics — III (US) Free aggregate statistics on the US insurance industry covering auto, home, commercial lines, life, and health. Historical loss data and catastrophe loss summaries. iii.org — Facts and Statistics

CAS Loss Reserving Database — Casualty Actuarial Society Loss development triangles from NAIC Schedule P filings for multiple lines (workers comp, commercial auto, medical malpractice, other liability, private passenger auto, product liability). Widely used in academic research and reserving education. casact.org — Loss Reserving Data

18. International Health Data

CDC WONDER — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging US public health datasets including detailed mortality by cause, age, race, and geography. Also covers natality, cancer statistics, environmental data, and vaccine adverse events. wonder.cdc.gov

NHANES — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — CDC (US) Combines interviews and physical examinations covering demographics, dietary habits, health conditions, and biomarker data. Unique for providing objectively measured health data. Approximately 5,000 persons examined per year. cdc.gov — NHANES

NHIS — National Health Interview Survey — CDC (US) Principal source on the health of the US civilian population. Covers health status, health care access, insurance coverage, immunisation, and health behaviours. Approximately 35,000 households per year. cdc.gov — NHIS

MEPS — Medical Expenditure Panel Survey — AHRQ (US) Comprehensive data on health care use, expenditures, payment sources, and insurance coverage. Uniquely links medical conditions to specific costs. meps.ahrq.gov

WHO Global Health Observatory — World Health Organization Over 1,000 health indicators across all 194 member states: life expectancy, disease burden, risk factors, health systems, and expenditure. who.int — GHO

WHO Global Health Expenditure Database — WHO Internationally comparable health spending data for 190+ countries. Government, private, and out-of-pocket expenditure as shares of GDP and per capita. apps.who.int — GHED

OECD Health Statistics — OECD Comparative data on health systems across 38 OECD countries: health status, resources, utilisation, pharmaceutical markets, and expenditure. stats.oecd.org

Global Burden of Disease (GBD) — IHME, University of Washington Estimates of mortality and disability from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors worldwide. Covers 204 countries, 369 diseases/injuries, and 87 risk factors. vizhub.healthdata.org — GBD Results

CIHI — Canadian Institute for Health Information Data on Canadian health system performance including hospital outcomes, wait times, health spending, workforce, and patient safety. cihi.ca — Data and Reports

AIHW — Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Australia's national health and welfare statistics: health expenditure, disease burden, hospital statistics, mental health, aged care, and disability. aihw.gov.au — Reports and Data

Eurostat Health Database — Eurostat European health statistics covering causes of death, healthcare expenditure, resources, morbidity (hospital discharges by diagnosis), and health determinants. Standardised across EU member states. ec.europa.eu — Eurostat Health

19. International Demographics and Population

US Census Bureau — United States Census Bureau The definitive source for US population data. Decennial census results, American Community Survey (ACS) annual estimates, population projections, housing data, and economic census. Data available down to block group level. data.census.gov

US Population Projections — US Census Bureau National and state population projections by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Base, high, and low variants. census.gov — Population Projections

Statistics Canada — Census and Population — Statistics Canada Comprehensive Canadian demographic data: census results (every 5 years), population estimates, projections, immigration, fertility, and household composition. statcan.gc.ca — Census

Australian Bureau of Statistics — Population — ABS Australian population statistics: census results (every 5 years), estimated resident population, projections, migration, births, deaths, and marriages. abs.gov.au — Population

Eurostat Population and Demography — Eurostat Comprehensive demographic data for all EU/EEA countries: population by age and sex, fertility, mortality, migration, household composition, and EUROPOP projections. ec.europa.eu — Eurostat Population

UN World Population Prospects — UN DESA The authoritative source for global demographic estimates and projections. Every country from 1950 to 2100. Fertility, mortality, migration assumptions with multiple scenarios. The 2024 Revision is the latest. population.un.org — WPP

UN World Urbanization Prospects — UN DESA Urban and rural population estimates and projections for all countries, 1950 to 2050. Includes data for individual cities and urban agglomerations. population.un.org — WUP

20. International Finance and Economics

FRED — Federal Reserve Economic Data — Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Over 800,000 time series covering interest rates (Treasury yields, SOFR), inflation (CPI, PCE), GDP, employment, housing, exchange rates, and international data. One of the most valuable free economic data resources in the world. fred.stlouisfed.org

US Bureau of Labor Statistics — BLS Primary source for US inflation and employment statistics. CPI at detailed item level, PPI, Employment Cost Index, occupational wages, workplace injuries/fatalities, and productivity data. bls.gov — Data

US Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA GDP and national accounts data, personal income by state, and international trade statistics. bea.gov — Data

US Treasury Interest Rate Data — US Department of the Treasury Daily Treasury yield curve rates, bill rates, and real yield curve rates (TIPS). The foundation for US discount rate curves in pension and insurance valuations. home.treasury.gov — Interest Rate Statistics

World Bank Open Data — World Bank Over 1,400 development indicators covering GDP, poverty, health, education, infrastructure, and financial sector data for 217 economies. Includes insurance penetration/density data. data.worldbank.org

IMF Data — International Monetary Fund International Financial Statistics, World Economic Outlook data, Balance of Payments, Government Finance Statistics, and Financial Soundness Indicators for 190 member countries. data.imf.org

OECD Economic Data — OECD Economic data for 38 OECD countries: GDP, inflation, interest rates, unemployment, trade, productivity, and income inequality. The OECD Economic Outlook provides biannual forecasts. data.oecd.org

ECB Statistical Data Warehouse — European Central Bank Euro area and EU financial statistics: yield curves (government and corporate), money market rates (ESTR), bank lending rates, exchange rates, and financial stability indicators. ECB yield curves are essential for Solvency II discount rate calculations. sdw.ecb.europa.eu

Bank of Canada Financial Data — Bank of Canada Canadian interest rates, bond yields, exchange rates, and inflation data. Includes historical Government of Canada benchmark bond yields. bankofcanada.ca — Rates

RBA Statistical Tables — Reserve Bank of Australia Australian interest rates, bond yields, exchange rates, and economic indicators. Includes Commonwealth Government securities yields. rba.gov.au — Statistics

US Federal Student Aid Data — US Department of Education Federal student loan portfolio data: outstanding balances by loan type, repayment status, delinquency and default rates, and borrower demographics. studentaid.gov — Data Center

21. Pensions and Social Security

SSA Actuarial Publications — US Social Security Administration Comprehensive actuarial data on the US Social Security system. The annual Trustees Report provides 75-year financial projections, mortality tables, disability rates, and demographic projections. ssa.gov — Office of the Chief Actuary

SSA Disability Experience Data — SSA Disability insurance programme experience: incidence rates by age and sex, termination rates, and prevalence rates. ssa.gov — DI Statistics

PBGC Data Books — Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (US) Data on US defined benefit plans insured by PBGC: plan counts, participants, funding levels, premiums, and termination data. pbgc.gov — Data Books

Form 5500 Filings — US Department of Labor Annual return/report data for approximately 800,000 US employee benefit plans. Plan financial information, participant counts, funding data, and service provider fees. dol.gov — Form 5500

CPP Actuarial Reports — Office of the Chief Actuary, OSFI (Canada) Triennial actuarial reports on the Canada Pension Plan with 75-year financial projections, demographic and economic assumptions, and sensitivity analysis. osfi-bsif.gc.ca — CPP Reports

CPP Investments Reports — CPP Investments (Canada) Quarterly and annual reports on CPP fund investment performance and asset allocation. cppinvestments.com — Financial Results

APRA Superannuation Statistics — APRA (Australia) Comprehensive data on Australian superannuation funds: total assets, fund flows, asset allocation, investment performance, membership, and benefit payments. Individual fund-level data available. apra.gov.au — Superannuation Statistics

OECD Pensions Data — OECD Cross-country pension data: fund assets, contributions, benefits, replacement rates, retirement ages, and investment allocation. "Pensions at a Glance" provides comparative analysis. stats.oecd.org

EIOPA Data — European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority Solvency II risk-free interest rate term structures (published monthly), EU insurance market statistics, and occupational pension statistics. The risk-free rate curves are mandatory regulatory data for European insurers. eiopa.europa.eu — Tools and Data

22. Catastrophe and Climate Data

NOAA Climate Data — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Historical temperature, precipitation, extreme weather, sea level, and Arctic/Antarctic data. Climate Data Online provides station-level observations. Also produces the "Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters" dataset. ncei.noaa.gov

USGS Earthquake Data — United States Geological Survey Real-time and historical earthquake data worldwide. Comprehensive catalog with magnitude, location, depth, and shakemap data. Also produces seismic hazard maps. earthquake.usgs.gov

Munich Re NatCatSERVICE — Munich Re Aggregate natural catastrophe loss data including annual summaries, event counts, and trend analyses. The annual "Natural Catastrophe Review" is publicly available and widely cited. munichre.com — NatCatSERVICE

Swiss Re sigma — Swiss Re Institute Global catastrophe loss data and insurance market statistics via the sigma explorer. Complements Munich Re's NatCatSERVICE with independent estimates. sigma.swissre.com

23. Additional Specialist Sources

SOA Experience Studies — Society of Actuaries Industry experience studies covering mortality, morbidity, lapse/persistency, and annuity experience. Many provide detailed data tables. soa.org — Experience Studies

CIA Research — Canadian Institute of Actuaries Research papers and some experience data relevant to Canadian actuarial practice. Many research documents are publicly accessible. cia-ica.ca — Publications

Actuaries Institute Australia — Knowledge Bank Green papers, white papers, and public-interest research including the Australian Actuaries Climate Index. actuaries.asn.au — Knowledge Bank

ILO Social Protection Data — International Labour Organization World Social Protection Database covering pension, health, unemployment, disability, and maternity programmes for all ILO member states. ILOSTAT provides labour statistics. ilostat.ilo.org

NBER Business Cycle Dating — National Bureau of Economic Research The official chronology of US business cycles (peaks and troughs) since 1854. The definitive reference for recession dating. nber.org — Business Cycles

NCCI Workers Compensation Research — NCCI (US) Free research including the annual "State of the Line" report, industry financial results, and frequency/severity trends for workers compensation. ncci.com — Research

24. Quick Reference by Actuarial Specialty

Specialty Key Datasets
Life Insurance National Life Tables (ONS), HMD, Weekly Deaths, Cancer Registration, Cancer Survival, Health Survey for England, ASHE, SOA mort.soa.org, SSA Life Tables, CDC WONDER
Pensions National Life Tables, Population Projections, OPSS, TPR Scheme Returns, ASHE, CPI/RPI, BoE Yield Curves, Gilt Data, Stat-Xplore, SSA Actuarial Publications, PBGC, OECD Pensions
General Insurance (Motor) STATS19, Road Traffic Statistics, MOT Test Data, Police Recorded Crime, FARS, CRSS
General Insurance (Property) EA Flood Maps, HadUK-Grid, UKCP, Land Registry Price Paid, EPC Data, Police Recorded Crime, NOAA Storm Events, EM-DAT
Health / PMI Health Survey for England, HES, QOF Prevalence, Cancer Statistics, Fingertips, WHO GHO, GBD, CDC WONDER, NHANES, MEPS
Critical Illness Cancer Registration, Cancer Survival, Cause of Death Data, QOF Prevalence, GBD, SOA Experience Studies
Investment BoE Yield Curves, DMO Gilt Data, CPI/RPI, Bank Rate, FRED, ECB SDW, US Treasury Yields, OECD Economic, IMF Data
Catastrophe / Reinsurance EM-DAT, NOAA Storm Events, IBTrACS, USGS Earthquakes, Munich Re NatCat, Swiss Re sigma, EA Flood Maps, UKCP
Demographic / Longevity HMD, National Life Tables, Census 2021, Mid-Year Population Estimates, Population Projections, UN WPP, Birth Statistics, Migration
Climate / ESG Met Office UKCP, HadUK-Grid, EA Flood Maps, EPC Data, NOAA NCEI, USGS
ERM FRED, IMF WEO, OECD Economic, NBER Business Cycles, World Bank, BLS

25. Multi-Domain Data Portals

These portals are gateways to many of the individual datasets listed above, and much more besides. Worth bookmarking as starting points.

data.gov.uk — The UK Government's open data portal. Searchable catalogue of thousands of datasets across central and local government. data.gov.uk

ONS — The primary portal for UK population, economic, and social statistics. Topic-based navigation and expanding API access. ons.gov.uk

NOMIS — Labour market, population, and mortality statistics with flexible query tools. Particularly strong for area-based analysis. nomisweb.co.uk

UK Data Service — Access to survey microdata including the Family Resources Survey, Health Survey for England, and Labour Force Survey. Free registration required for most datasets. ukdataservice.ac.uk

Stat-Xplore — DWP benefits statistics including State Pension, Universal Credit, PIP, and Attendance Allowance. Free registration required. stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

26. Tips for Working with These Datasets

  1. Combine exposure and event data. Use Mid-Year Population Estimates as denominators with death registration data as numerators to calculate mortality rates. Use road traffic statistics as exposure when analysing STATS19 accident data.

  2. Geography matters. Many UK datasets use standard geographical classifications (LSOA, MSOA, local authority, region). The ONS Open Geography Portal at geoportal.statistics.gov.uk provides boundary files and lookup tables to link these.

  3. Check reference periods. Different datasets use different time bases: calendar year, financial year, mid-year to mid-year. Always check the metadata before joining datasets.

  4. Use APIs where available. FRED, Eurostat, the World Bank, IMF, Census Bureau, and many others offer well-documented APIs. The ONS is expanding its API offering via developer.ons.gov.uk. Programmatic access improves reproducibility.

  5. Watch for registration requirements. HMD, HLD, EM-DAT, EPC data, Stat-Xplore, and UK Data Service all require free registration before download. Most other sources allow immediate access.

  6. Data lag varies. Most government statistical datasets have a 1-3 year lag between the reference period and availability. Financial market data (FRED, ECB, Treasury yields) is typically available with minimal lag.

Found this useful?

I'll keep this list updated as new sources emerge. If you know of a free public dataset that should be on this list, get in touch at INQA Group — I'd love to hear what data sources you use in your work.

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Last updated: February 2026 Compiled by Patrick Lee, Founder, INQA Group