Back to Global Statistics - Composite Indices for International Comparisons
University of Geneva

Global Statistics - Composite Indices for International Comparisons

The number of composite indices that are constructed and used internationally is growing very fast; but whilst the complexity of quantitative techniques has increased dramatically, the education and training in this area has been dragging and lagging behind. As a consequence, these simple numbers, expected to synthesize quite complex issues, are often presented to the public and used in the political debate without proper emphasis on their intrinsic limitations and correct interpretations. In this course on global statistics, offered by the University of Geneva jointly with the ETH Zürich KOF, you will learn the general approach of constructing composite indices and some of resulting problems. We will discuss the technical properties, the internal structure (like aggregation, weighting, stability of time series), the primary data used and the variable selection methods. These concepts will be illustrated using a sample of the most popular composite indices. We will try to address not only statistical questions but also focus on the distinction between policy-, media- and paradigm-driven indicators.

Status: Data Analysis
Status: International Relations
IntermediateCourse16 hours

Featured reviews

AA

5.0Reviewed Jun 14, 2020

I enjoyed the course because it showed the methodology of different composite indicators in use, and the experts in them exposed the motivation of its origin and its evolution. Thank you!

FM

5.0Reviewed Jun 15, 2020

It is a good platform to study about complex indices in statistics.I really enjoyed this.

MJ

5.0Reviewed Mar 29, 2019

Eventhough this isn't something I want to particularly do in the future I would like to say that I have enjoyed learning about composite indicators. I would highly recommend this MOOC to anyone.

SW

4.0Reviewed Feb 2, 2026

This course was improved my understanding of composite indices and the various methodologies used to develop them.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 21

Charul Sharma
2.0
Reviewed Sep 5, 2020
Liliana Fernanda Del Villar Arias
5.0
Reviewed Apr 6, 2019
Francisco Navarro
4.0
Reviewed Apr 20, 2020
elabayi
5.0
Reviewed Nov 1, 2020
Vianney Belinga Belinga Ekoro Mvondo
5.0
Reviewed May 27, 2019
Xenia Grecia Mejia Chupillon
5.0
Reviewed Jun 30, 2020
Stellios Stratidakis
5.0
Reviewed Jul 29, 2018
Ana Garcia-Bernabeu
5.0
Reviewed Jan 23, 2021
SWATHI SUBRAMANIAM 2090129
5.0
Reviewed Sep 7, 2021
Mohamed Abdalla Mahmoud Jamia
5.0
Reviewed Mar 30, 2019
Aizailadema Altamirano Avila
5.0
Reviewed Jun 15, 2020
5.0
Reviewed Oct 9, 2019
5.0
Reviewed Jul 30, 2022
FATHIMA MUFEEDA.K
5.0
Reviewed Jun 16, 2020
José Luis Vásquez Pérez
5.0
Reviewed May 1, 2019
Mona Abdulrazzaq Alsharea
5.0
Reviewed Jun 28, 2020
Evelyn C
4.0
Reviewed Sep 4, 2020
Igor Caldeira
4.0
Reviewed Oct 31, 2019
Stacey Wells-Moultrie
4.0
Reviewed Feb 3, 2026
Michael Bratt
3.0
Reviewed Apr 12, 2021