R interface to access, explore and visualize CEPALSTAT indicators
CEPALSTAT Portal · Paper (LACCEI 2024) · Report Issue
Overview
CepalStatR is an R package that provides a reproducible and user-friendly interface to access data and metadata from CEPALSTAT, the statistical portal of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL).
The package is designed to simplify the interaction with the CEPALSTAT API, allowing users to:
- explore the hierarchical structure of indicators,
- download data in tidy formats,
- and generate both static and interactive visualizations.
It is particularly useful for researchers, analysts, and students working with Latin American and Caribbean statistics.
Main Features
- Access CEPALSTAT indicators directly from R
- Retrieve metadata and hierarchical structures
- Download indicator data in tidy format
- List countries available in CEPALSTAT
- Generate demographic visualizations (population pyramids)
- Create SDG indicator rankings
- Explore indicators via interactive tables and thematic maps
Installation
Install the development version from GitHub:
# install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("Henry-Osorto/CepalStatR")Quick start
library(CepalStatR)
# Interactive indicator browser
viewer.indicators()
# Download the indicator hierarchy as a data frame
indicators <- call.indicators()
# Download indicator data
df <- call.data(id.indicator = 1)
# Available countries
countries()
# Population pyramids
pyramids(country = "Honduras", years = c(1, 5, 10, 15))
# SDG ranking
ranking.sdg(id.indicator = 3682)
# Interactive thematic map
topic_map()Core functions
Metadata and exploration
-
call.indicators()— downloads the thematic structure of CEPALSTAT indicators -
viewer.indicators()— displays the indicator hierarchy in an interactive HTML table -
topic_map()— creates an interactive thematic tree of indicators -
countries()— returns the list of available countries from CEPALSTAT dimensions
Data retrieval
-
call.data()— downloads indicator data and returns an analysis-ready data frame
Visualization
-
pyramids()— generates population pyramids using CEPALSTAT demographic indicators -
ranking.sdg()— creates ranking plots for indicators associated with the Sustainable Development Goals
Why use CepalStatR?
CEPALSTAT provides a rich statistical infrastructure for Latin America and the Caribbean, but direct use of its API may be cumbersome for many users. CepalStatR simplifies that process by offering a consistent R interface for metadata discovery, reproducible data acquisition, tidy outputs, and built-in visual tools for exploratory and applied analysis.
This makes the package especially suitable for:
- empirical research
- policy analysis
- reproducible workflows
- academic teaching
- exploratory analysis of regional statistics
Citation
If you use CepalStatR in academic work, please cite the conference paper that documents the package:
Osorto, H. (2024). CepalStatR: a package in R for access to ECLAC statistics. 22nd LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology. https://doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2024.1.1.1473
Project status
The package currently includes a CRAN-ready structure, interactive exploration tools, indicator retrieval functions, and built-in visualization features. Future development may extend the package with additional metadata utilities, thematic graphics, and analytical workflows.