OECD Data Scraper - Macro & Economic Time Series

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns:

{
  "dataflow": "OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0",
  "dataflowName": "Consumer price indices (CPIs, HICPs), COICOP 1999",
  "subjectCode": "CPI",
  "subjectName": "Consumer price index",
  "countryCode": "MEX",
  "countryName": "Mexico",
  "frequency": "Monthly",
  "period": "2020-01",
  "value": 0.1242745,
  "unit": "Percentage points",
  "unitMultiplier": null,
  "decimals": 2,
  "basePeriod": null,
  "breakdown": "Methodology: National · Expenditure: Clothing and footwear · Adjustment: Neither seasonally adjusted nor calendar adjusted · Transformation: Contribution to growth rate, over 1 year",
  "obsStatus": "Normal value",
  "source": "OECD",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:29:34.012Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete OECD data scraper available. It returns every field an OECD SDMX observation exposes, including the resolved dataset, subject and country names, the frequency and period, the numeric value with its unit, decimals and observation status, and a human-readable breakdown of the dimensions, and lets you pick from ten macro/social datasets with country, indicator and period filters.

📥 Input · 📤 Output · 💰 Pricing · ▶️ Examples

Table of contents

• What it does
• Quickstart
• Input reference
• Output reference
• Example output record
• Run via API and CLI
• Fetch results
• Billing and limits
• FAQ and troubleshooting

What it does

The actor queries the OECD SDMX data API for the dataset (dataflow) you choose, applies the country, indicator and period filters you pass as input, and writes one normalized record per observation to the run's dataset. It resolves the SDMX codes into readable names (dataset, subject, country, unit) and flattens each observation into a flat row so you can chart or model without parsing SDMX.

You choose from ten curated macro/social datasets: consumer price indices (inflation), key short-term indicators, Economic Outlook projections, quarterly and annual national accounts (GDP), monthly unemployment, financial-market interest and exchange rates, balance of payments, health status, and historical population. Missing source values are returned as null, never invented.

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns CPI observations for four countries from 2020 to 2024.

{
  "dataflow": "OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0",
  "countries": ["USA", "DEU", "JPN", "MEX"],
  "startPeriod": "2020",
  "endPeriod": "2024",
  "maxObservations": 500
}

Leave countries empty for all available areas, and adjust startPeriod / endPeriod to a year, quarter (2015-Q1) or month (2015-01). Every input field is optional.

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
dataflow	enum	no	CPI dataset	OECD dataset to extract, chosen from ten curated dataflows (CPI, short-term indicators, Economic Outlook, quarterly/annual GDP, unemployment, financial markets, balance of payments, health status, population).
countries	string[]	no	["USA","DEU","JPN","MEX"]	ISO3 country/area codes to keep, for example USA, DEU, JPN, MEX, BRA. Empty returns all areas.
subjects	string[]	no	(all)	Indicator / subject codes to keep (varies by dataset). Empty keeps every indicator.
startPeriod	string	no	2020	Earliest period to include: year (2015), quarter (2015-Q1) or month (2015-01).
endPeriod	string	no	2024	Latest period to include: year, quarter or month.
maxObservations	integer	no	500	Maximum number of observation rows to return.

Output reference

One dataset item per observation. Types: string, number, or null when the source value is absent.

Field	Type	Description
dataflow	string	OECD dataflow identifier the observation came from.
dataflowName	string	Human-readable dataset name.
subjectCode	string	Indicator / subject code.
subjectName	string	Human-readable indicator name.
countryCode	string	ISO3 country/area code.
countryName	string	Human-readable country/area name.
frequency	string	Observation frequency, for example Monthly, Quarterly, Annual.
period	string	Time period of the observation, for example 2020-01, 2020-Q1, 2020.
value	number	Observed value, or null when the source value is missing.
unit	string	Unit of measure, for example Percentage points, or null.
unitMultiplier	number	Unit multiplier exponent, or null.
decimals	number	Number of decimals the source reports, or null.
basePeriod	string	Index base period, or null.
breakdown	string	Readable summary of the remaining SDMX dimensions (methodology, expenditure, adjustment, transformation).
obsStatus	string	Observation status, for example Normal value.
source	string	Always OECD.
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success. On a failed run, a single item with a populated error field is written instead.

Example output record

Real record from a live run (input {"dataflow": "OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0", "countries": ["USA","DEU","JPN","MEX"], "startPeriod": "2020", "endPeriod": "2024", "maxObservations": 500}). A later month with a negative contribution:

{
  "dataflow": "OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0",
  "dataflowName": "Consumer price indices (CPIs, HICPs), COICOP 1999",
  "subjectCode": "CPI",
  "subjectName": "Consumer price index",
  "countryCode": "MEX",
  "countryName": "Mexico",
  "frequency": "Monthly",
  "period": "2023-10",
  "value": -0.3617396,
  "unit": "Percentage points",
  "unitMultiplier": null,
  "decimals": 2,
  "basePeriod": null,
  "breakdown": "Methodology: National · Expenditure: Electricity, gas and other fuels · Adjustment: Neither seasonally adjusted nor calendar adjusted · Transformation: Contribution to growth rate, over 1 year",
  "obsStatus": "Normal value",
  "source": "OECD",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:29:34.012Z",
  "error": null
}

Run via API and CLI

Start a run and wait for it to finish, then read the dataset. Replace <TOKEN> with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items in one call:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~oecd-data-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataflow":"OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0","countries":["USA","MEX"],"startPeriod":"2022","endPeriod":"2024","maxObservations":500}'

Start a run asynchronously:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~oecd-data-scraper/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataflow":"OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M,1.0","countries":["DEU"],"startPeriod":"2020-01","endPeriod":"2024-12"}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/oecd-data-scraper \
  --input '{"dataflow":"OECD.SDD.NAD,DSD_NAMAIN1@DF_QNA,1.1","countries":["JPN"],"startPeriod":"2015","endPeriod":"2024"}'

Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV, or Excel by changing format:

# JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=json"

# CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=csv"

# Paginate large datasets
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&offset=1000&limit=1000"

<DATASET_ID> is returned as defaultDatasetId in the run object. Use offset and limit to page through large result sets. clean=true drops empty and internal fields.

Billing and limits

• Pay per result. You are charged per observation record returned (result event). See the pricing tab for the current per-result price.
• No charge on failure. If a run errors, the actor writes a single item with a populated error field and does not charge for it. Empty runs cost nothing.
• Spend cap respected. Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
• Free Apify plans are capped at 10 records per run. Upgrade for higher maxObservations.

FAQ and troubleshooting

A run returned 0 records. Why? The country, indicator or period filters matched no observations in the chosen dataset. Widen the period or clear countries. Zero-result runs are not charged.

How do I choose a dataset? Pick a dataflow from the ten curated options (CPI, GDP, unemployment, financial markets, and more). Each returns a full macro/social time series.

How do I filter countries? Pass ISO3 codes in countries, for example USA, DEU, JPN, MEX. Leave empty for all available areas.

What does the breakdown field contain? A readable summary of the remaining SDMX dimensions (methodology, expenditure category, adjustment and transformation) so you can tell exactly which series each row belongs to.

Why is value null on some rows? The source did not publish a value for that period. Missing values are returned as null, never invented.

Is this an official OECD tool? No. This actor is independent and has no affiliation with the OECD. It reads only data that is publicly available through the OECD SDMX data API.

Related scrapers

• IMF Data Scraper: IMF macro and financial time series.
• BLS Labor Statistics Scraper: US Bureau of Labor Statistics series.
• Exchange Rates Scraper: Daily currency exchange rates.
• GDELT News Events Scraper: Global news events and tone.
• Latam Central Banks FX Scraper: Latin American central bank FX rates.

More scrapers at scrapers.lat

Built and maintained by scrapers.lat, where we publish scrapers for US and Latin American public platforms: company registries, government data, finance, e-commerce and more. Browse the catalog or request a custom scraper at scrapers.lat.

---

Independent tool, not affiliated with the OECD. Accesses only publicly available data from the OECD SDMX data API.