The Global Financial Development Database is an extensive dataset of financial system characteristics for 214 economies. It contains annual data, starting from 1960. It has been last updated in September 2022 and contains data through 2021 for 108 indicators, capturing various aspects of financial institutions and markets. Please, be advised that the latest release presents changes in the methodology to compute some of the indicators, which have been properly identified in blue in the tab "Metadata". The Global Financial Development Database is based on a “4x2 framework”. Specifically, it includes measures of (1) depth, (2) access, (3) efficiency, and (4) stability of financial systems. Each of these characteristics is captured both for (1) financial institutions (for example banks and insurance companies), and (2) financial markets (such as stock markets and bond markets). The database builds on, updates, and extends previous efforts, in particular the data collected for the World Bank database “Financial Development and Structure”. For more information on the Global Financial Development Database, the 4x2 framework, and the underlying theoretical and empirical literature, see chapter 1 of the 2013 Global Financial Development Report, and Martin Cihák, Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Erik Feyen, and Ross Levine. 2012. “Benchmarking Financial Systems around the World.” Policy Research Working Paper 6175, World Bank, Washington, DC. (A version of the paper also appeared in the Journal of Financial Perspectives.) The World Bank is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of the information reported in the database. The data set may contain errors and omissions. For a description of the various indicators, please refer to the concepts and definitions reported in the definition and sources tab. The original source of the data is also identified. Users are advised to consult the accompanying metadata and contact directly the original data providers for specific inquiries on data points and series.