Compare country indicators using one common reporting year

The direct answer

Choose a common year before ranking countries. Selecting the latest nonblank value independently for every country can compare different economic periods. The example ranks 2023 life expectancy for ten countries using a single reference year.

Prepare the observation table

Filter the country-year table to year = 2023, check one record per code, and keep the indicator’s unit. Map country to X and life_expectancy_years to Y. Sort only after filtering; retain year as a column and in the chart subtitle.

Public dataset and a reproducible example

The download is a prepared extract, not a live data connection. The source links below include the original query, observation period and reuse policy. Keep an original copy when you update the data; revised source values can change the result.

World Bank WDI values retain the indicator units and country-year definitions. Derived counts and indexes are Datamon tutorial calculations, not new official World Bank statistics.

Snapshot retrieved: 2026-10-26. Prepared rows: 10.

Download the prepared CSVDownload the reference SVG

Build it in Datamon

Sign in with Google to create an editable visualization. Public articles and examples can be read without an account. The prepared CSV already contains the joins, filters or aggregations described above; do those steps in a spreadsheet first when using your own data.

1. Open Data and choose a file, or paste the table with its header row. Check the detected numeric columns, decimal separator and dates. The current importer accepts files below 20 MB; these examples are smaller. Keep blanks distinct from recorded zeros.
2. In Visualize, select Bar chart. Connect the roles exactly as listed below. Review the preview against at least two rows in the example table rather than relying only on automatic mapping.
3. In Refine, add a title that states the question, the unit, observation period and source. Check labels and contrast at the size your reader will see. Keep a table when exact values matter.
4. Use the export controls for SVG, PNG, PDF or PowerPoint, then inspect the actual file. Save an editable project backup. Publish only after checking the underlying values: a public link makes the published data available to anyone possessing the URL.

Calculation and column mapping

The rule below is pseudocode. The downloadable CSV already contains the prepared values; spreadsheet functions and cell references depend on your sheet layout.

FILTER year = 2023 before sorting; never mix latest years

X

country

Y

life_expectancy_years

Read the result

In this extract, life_expectancy_years ranges from 69.83 (PHL) to 84.04 (JPN).

Use the preview to check the structure and the CSV to check exact values. Its styling is a reference; your Datamon rendering can look different. Follow the mapping and preparation above to reproduce the analytical meaning.

Mistakes that change the meaning

A dataset retrieval date is not the observation year. A 2026 download can contain 2023 observations and later revisions. Report the data period and retrieval date separately so readers can distinguish freshness from comparability.

Questions before sharing

What is free and what needs an account?

Reading this guide and downloading its CSV and chart images are free. Datamon currently has no paid checkout or subscription plans in this deployment. Creating and saving an editable visualization requires Google sign-in. Provider-backed AI, cloud analysis, publishing and video depend on configured services; this guide does not promise unlimited free connected services.

Sources and further reading

• World Bank WDI · life_expectancy_years
• World Bank WDI · life_expectancy_years · API / CSV
• World Bank WDI · life_expectancy_years · License / policy
• Data sources, queries and reuse notes
• Datamon · Blog
• Visualize bar chart: easy guide, free example