Everything You Need to Know about DHS Data and More

So, you’re new to DHS and you’ve registered as a DHS data user, downloaded the free available datasets, but now what? We have the perfect resources to get you started.

The following videos provide an overview of DHS data answering key questions such as, what is a data file or dataset? What is the difference between De Jure and De Facto? What types of data files are available for download?

Starting with the Introduction to DHS Datasets, this video provides a guide to units of analysis, basic terminology, and DHS data files.

As mentioned in the video above, separate data files are created for different units of analysis. DHS Dataset Types in 60 Seconds runs through the most common data files and what they contain.

De Jure and De Facto are terms that you will see often within DHS reports and datasets. The following video breaks down what the terms mean, and how they apply to analyzing DHS data.

And finally, where is the information about interviewed households and individuals located in different data files? The Introduction to DHS Data Structure examines DHS datasets in a hierarchical structure.

We will have more videos released this summer, but for those who are still eager to learn more about DHS data, check out DHS Dataset Names Explained below.