Our World in Data COVID-19 Testing: Daily PCR Tests for 92 Countries

92 countries are covered by this database of official PCR testing data. It provides a time series for daily tests performed or people tested, along with metadata on data quality and comparability issues. The database is updated regularly through automated scraping and manual verification by Joe Hasell, with sources provided for each observation.

Use Cases

• Modeling COVID-19 case detection rates based on reported testing output.
• Tracking and comparing national pandemic response efforts based on testing time series.
• Incorporating testing data into epidemiological studies to adjust for surveillance bias.

Strengths

• Covers 92 countries, providing broad cross-country comparison.
• Includes metadata describing data quality and comparability issues for interpretation.
• Sources are provided for each observation, making the data collection process replicable.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Our World in Data, via paperswithcode.

Collection Method

Combination of automated scraping and manual collection and verification of official data.

Geography

92 countries