Africa Center is a compilation of statistics published by other organisations. That makes citation a two-step decision: you have to know whether your reader will need the underlying source or whether the version on this site is what you want to point them to. The rule of thumb below answers that question, then this page gives you the formats you need to write the citation itself.
The decision: cite us, or cite the source?
The right citation depends on what your reader is meant to verify. Use the following rule:
| If you\'re using… | Cite | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A single numerical figure (population, GDP, etc.) | The primary source we link to on the country profile | The number belongs to the source. Citing us as the origin would short-circuit the reader\'s ability to verify it against the authoritative release. |
| A chart or map presentation | Africa Center, with the underlying source named | The visual presentation is our work; the data behind it belongs to the source. Citing both is the rigorous answer. |
| Editorial commentary on the site | Africa Center | Commentary is original to the site. |
| A combined ranking or sort across countries | Africa Center, with the underlying sources named | The aggregation is our editorial choice; the constituents come from primary sources. |
Citation examples — APA 7th edition
For an entire site or a specific page in APA, the format is publisher, year, page title, retrieval date, and URL. The retrieval date is recommended when content can be revised, which applies to indicator pages here.
Whole site:
A specific country profile:
A chart on a page:
Citation examples — MLA 9th edition
MLA places the publisher, the date of publication or update, and the URL after the page title. A retrieval date is optional unless the source is unstable; for live indicators, include it.
Whole site:
A specific country profile:
Citation examples — Chicago (notes-bibliography)
Chicago footnotes for online sources include the title of the page, the publisher, the page URL, and an access date when the page can be revised.
Footnote, first reference:
Bibliography entry:
Citing the underlying primary source instead
When you want a reader to verify a single figure, the cleanest citation is to the primary source itself. The most common ones, in the formats their own publishers recommend, are:
- World Bank Open Data: "World Bank, World Development Indicators, [indicator name], [country], [year]," with the URL of the indicator page.
- IMF World Economic Outlook: "International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, [release month and year]," with the URL of the WEO release.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics: "UNESCO Institute for Statistics, [indicator name], [country], [year]."
- UN Population Division: "United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects: The [year] Revision."
- African Development Bank: "African Development Bank, African Statistical Yearbook [year]."
The full directory of these sources is on the data sources page. The methodology note explains the rules we follow when source figures disagree.
Licensing and reuse
The visual presentation of charts, maps and tables on Africa Center is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). You may reproduce, adapt and build on those visuals — including for commercial purposes — provided you credit Africa Center and link back to the source page.
The underlying numerical data continues to belong to its originating organisation, and that organisation\'s licence applies when you reuse the raw figures. World Bank Open Data, for example, is largely under the World Bank\'s own attribution licence; UN agency data has agency-specific terms. When you reuse a chart that combines a presentation we built with data from a primary source, attribute both: "Chart: Africa Center (CC BY 4.0). Data: [primary source]."
Specifics that often get missed
- Always include a retrieval / access date when citing an indicator page. Country statistics are revised; the figure you cited may not be the figure visible to a future reader. The reference page on what causes those revisions is why African statistics get revised.
- Cite the version, not just the URL. If you took a screenshot of a chart, name the date of the chart in your citation. The "Last reviewed" line at the bottom of the page tells you the most recent moment we checked the figures.
- Note the indicator type. "GDP" alone is ambiguous — say "nominal GDP, US dollars" so the reader knows you used the figure on the page rather than a PPP equivalent from elsewhere.
- Don\'t paraphrase a primary source through us. If a journal-style citation is required, prefer the original World Bank, IMF or UN entry; cite Africa Center for the chart treatment if you reproduce the chart.
Permissions for non-standard reuse
The CC BY 4.0 licence covers most reuse cases, including embedding a chart in a paid course, a textbook, or a printed publication. If your use case isn\'t covered — for example, a logo placement that suggests endorsement, or bulk redistribution of pages — write to [email protected] via the contact page and we\'ll respond.
Last reviewed: 28 April 2026.