- ABOUT THE DATA
- UNDERSTANDING SURVEY STATISTICS
- WORKING WITH DATASETS
- DATASET ACCESS
File Types and Names
Distribution Files
Survey datasets are distributed as compressed .ZIP files. A distribution .ZIP file contains multiple working files which generally include a data file, various data definition files, and other documentation. This page includes instructions on how to work with distribution .ZIP files. The video below provides a quick introduction to DHS datasets.
On this page
Distribution File Naming Convention
Country Codes
Data File Type Codes
Data Version Codes
File Format Codes
Data Structure Codes
Working Files
The types of "working files" that are contained in each distributed .ZIP file include a data file, various data definitions, and other documentation. The exact type of files that are included will vary depending on the associated data type and file format.
Working files must be extracted from the distributed .ZIP file. The files can be extracted using PKUNZIP, Winzip, or other data compression software. You can download the Winzip Evaluation Version for free.
Types of Working Files
Examples of Working File Types
Distribution File Naming Convention
An individual .ZIP file is distributed for each dataset type (e.g. household, women, men, children, couples, etc.) and file format (e.g. hierarchical, flat, SPSS, SAS, Stata.) Each .ZIP distribution file is uniquely named with a standard naming convention. The video below provides guidance to new users understanding the standard naming conventions used in our downloadable datasets.
Dataset files are named according to the following convention: [CC][DD][VV][FF][DS].ZIP
Code Description:
[CC] Country Code
[DD] Dataset Type (e.g. HR-Household, PR-Household Member, IR-Women, MR-Men, BR-Births, KR-Children under 5, and CR-couples)
[VV] Dataset Version (First Character - DHS Phase) (Second Character - Release version)
[FF] File Format (eg. FL-Flat, SV-SPSS, DT-Stata, SD-SAS)
[DS] Data Structure for SPA (SR: SPA Recode | SP: SPA Raw)
Example:
To give an example of how distribution files for a survey are organized, the following table shows the available files, along with the names that they are given for the Kenya 2003 DHS survey.
| Kenya 2003 DHS Survey | |||||
| ASCII File Types | Software-Specific Data File Types | ||||
| Unit of Analysis | Hierarchical | Flat | SAS | SPSS | Stata |
| Households | KEHR42FL.ZIP | KEHR42SD.ZIP | KEHR42SV.ZIP | KEHR42DT.ZIP | |
| Household Members | KEPR42FL.ZIP | KEPR42SD.ZIP | KEPR42SV.ZIP | KEPR42DT.ZIP | |
| Women | KEIR42.ZIP | KEIR42FL.ZIP | KEIR42SD.ZIP | KEIR42SV.ZIP | KEIR42DT.ZIP |
| Men | KEMR42.ZIP | KEMR42FL.ZIP | KEMR42SD.ZIP | KEMR42SV.ZIP | KEMR42DT.ZIP |
| Births | KEBR42FL.ZIP | KEBR42SD.ZIP | KEBR42SV.ZIP | KEBR42DT.ZIP | |
| Children | KEKR42FL.ZIP | KEKR42SD.ZIP | KEKR42SV.ZIP | KEKR42DT.ZIP | |
| Couples | KECR42FL.ZIP | KECR42SD.ZIP | KECR42SV.ZIP | KECR42DT.ZIP | |
| HIV Test Results | KEAR42.ZIP | KEAR42FL.ZIP | KEAR42SD.ZIP | KEAR42SV.ZIP | KEAR42DT.ZIP |
The following reference tables contain the descriptions for the four different types of filename codes (country, data type, data version, and file format).
Country Codes (includes India State Codes) - [CC]DDVVFFDS.ZIP
| CC: Country Code Description |
|||
| Code | Country Name | Code | Country Name |
| AF | Afghanistan | LB | Liberia |
| AL | Albania | MD | Madagascar |
| AO | Angola | MW | Malawi |
| AM | Armenia | MV | Maldives |
| AZ | Azerbaijan | ML | Mali |
| BD | Bangladesh | MR | Mauritania |
| BJ | Benin | MX | Mexico |
| BO | Bolivia | MB | Moldova |
| BT | Botswana | MA | Morocco |
| BR | Brazil | MZ | Mozambique |
| BF | Burkina Faso | MM | Myanmar |
| BU | Burundi | NM | Namibia |
| KH | Cambodia | NP | Nepal |
| CM | Cameroon | NC | Nicaragua |
| CV | Cape Verde | NI | Niger |
| CF | Central African Republic | NG | Nigeria |
| TD | Chad | OS | Nigeria (Ondo State) |
| CO | Colombia | PK | Pakistan |
| KM | Comoros | PY | Paraguay |
| CG | Congo | PE | Peru |
| CD | Congo Democratic Republic | PH | Philippines |
| CI | Cote d'Ivoire | RW | Rwanda |
| DR | Dominican Republic | WS | Samoa |
| EC | Ecuador | ST | Sao Tome and Principe |
| EG | Egypt | SN | Senegal |
| ES | El Salvador | SL | Sierra Leone |
| EK | Equatorial Guinea | ZA | South Africa |
| ER | Eritrea | LK | Sri Lanka |
| ET | Ethiopia | SD | Sudan |
| GA | Gabon | SZ | Swaziland |
| GM | Gambia | TJ | Tajikistan |
| GH | Ghana | TZ | Tanzania |
| GU | Guatemala | TH | Thailand |
| GN | Guinea | TL | Timor-Leste |
| GY | Guyana | TG | Togo |
| HT | Haiti | TT | Trinidad and Tobago |
| HN | Honduras | TN | Tunisia |
| IA | India | TR | Turkey |
| ID | Indonesia | TM | Turkmenistan |
| JO | Jordan | UG | Uganda |
| KK | Kazakhstan | UA | Ukraine |
| KE | Kenya | UZ | Uzbekistan |
| KY | Kyrgyz Republic | VN | Vietnam |
| LA | Lao People's Democratic Republic | YE | Yemen |
| LS | Lesotho | ZM | Zambia |
| ZW | Zimbabwe | ||
| India States |
|||
| Code | State Name | Code | State Name |
| AP | Andhra Pradesh | AR | Arunachal Pradesh |
| AS | Assam | BH | Bihar |
| DL | Delhi | GJ | Gujarat |
| GO | Goa | HP | Himachal Pradesh |
| HR | Haryana | JM | Jammu |
| KA | Karnataka. | KE | Kerala |
| MG | Meghalaya | MH | Maharastra |
| MN | Manipur | MP | Madhya Pradesh |
| MZ | Mizoram | NA | Nagaland |
| OR | Orissa | PJ | Punjab |
| RJ | Rajasthan | TN | Tamil Nadu |
| TR | Tripura | UP | Uttar Pradesh |
| WB | West Bengal | SK | Sikkim |
Data File Types - CC[DD]VVFFDS.ZIP
| DD: Data File Types |
||
| Data Type | Description | Category |
| AI | Accidents and Injuries Recode | Household survey recode |
| BR | Births Recode | Household survey recode |
| CR | Couples' Recode | Household survey recode |
| GR | Pregnancies Recode | Household survey recode |
| HR | Household Recode | Household survey recode |
| IR | Individual Recode | Household survey recode |
| KR | Children's Recode | Household survey recode |
| MR | Men's Recode | Household survey recode |
| NR | Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Recode | Household survey recode |
| PR | Household Member Recode | Household survey recode |
| SR | Siblings Recode | Household survey recode |
| XR | Child Under 5 Recode | Household survey recode |
| AH | Adult Health | Household survey raw |
| BQ | Births Raw | Household survey raw |
| CH | Children's Raw | Household survey raw |
| CP | Couples' Raw | Household survey raw |
| EX | Experimental | Household survey raw |
| FW | Fieldworker Questionnaire | Household survey raw |
| HH | Household Raw | Household survey raw |
| HW | Height and Weight Scores - WHO Child Growth Standards | Household survey raw |
| ID | In-depth | Household survey raw |
| IH | Individual/Household Raw | Household survey raw |
| IQ | Individual Raw | Household survey raw |
| ML | Men's Raw | Household survey raw |
| OD | Other Data | Household survey raw |
| PQ | Household Member Raw | Household survey raw |
| SM | Safe Motherhood | Household survey raw |
| SQ | Service Availability Raw | Household survey raw |
| VA | Verbal Autopsy | Household survey raw |
| WI | Wealth Index | Household survey raw |
| WS | Women's Status | Household survey raw |
| XP | Expenditure | Household survey raw |
| AR | HIV Test Results Recode | HIV/Other biomarkers |
| HT | HIV Test Results Raw | HIV/Other biomarkers |
| OB | Other Biomarkers | HIV/Other biomarkers |
| GC | Geospatial Covariates | GIS |
| GE | Geographic Data | GIS |
| AN | Antenatal Care | Facility survey/SPA |
| AT | ART | Facility survey/SPA |
| CL | Unit Check List | Facility survey/SPA |
| CN | Consultations | Facility survey/SPA |
| CS | Country Specific | Facility survey/SPA |
| CT | VCT | Facility survey/SPA |
| FC | Facility | Facility survey/SPA |
| FP | Family Planning | Facility survey/SPA |
| IN | Safe Injection | Facility survey/SPA |
| IP | Inpatient Unit | Facility survey/SPA |
| LB | Laboratory | Facility survey/SPA |
| LD | Labor Delivery | Facility survey/SPA |
| MS | Health Information System | Facility survey/SPA |
| OI | Outpatient/inpatient | Facility survey/SPA |
| OP | Outpatient Unit | Facility survey/SPA |
| PH | Pharmacy | Facility survey/SPA |
| PI | Personal Interview | Facility survey/SPA |
| PM | PMTCT | Facility survey/SPA |
| PV | Provider | Facility survey/SPA |
| SC | Sick Child | Facility survey/SPA |
| SI | Sexually Transmitted Infections | Facility survey/SPA |
| SL | Staff/Provider Listing | Facility survey/SPA |
| TB | TB data | Facility survey/SPA |
| CO | Community | Community survey |
| VR | Village Recode | Community survey |
Data Versions - CCDD[VV]FFDS.ZIP
| VV: Version Number |
|
| Version No. | Description |
| Phase 1 | |
| 0(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-I 00 - Release version 0 01 - Release version 1 02 - Release version 2 03 - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 2 | |
| 2(0- 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-II 20 - Release version 0 21 - Release version 1 22 - Release version 2 23 - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 3 | |
| 3(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-III 30 - Release Version 0 31 - Release version 1 32 - Release version 2 33 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 3(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-III 3H - Release Version 0 3A - Release version 1 3B - Release version 2 3C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 3(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-III 3Q - Release Version 0 3I - Release version 1 3J - Release version 2 3K - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 4 | |
| 4(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-IV 40 - Release Version 0 41 - Release version 1 42 - Release version 2 43 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 4(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-IV 4H - Release Version 0 4A - Release version 1 4B - Release version 2 4C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 4(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-IV 4Q - Release Version 0 4I - Release version 1 4J - Release version 2 4K - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 5 | |
| 5(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-V 50 - Release Version 0 51 - Release version 1 52 - Release version 2 53 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 5(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-V 5H - Release Version 0 5A - Release version 1 5B - Release version 2 5C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 5(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-V 5Q - Release Version 0 5I - Release version 1 5J - Release version 2 5K - Release version 3 [...] |
| 5(R - Z) | Fourth survey conducted under DHS-V 5Z - Release version 0 5R - Release version 1 5S - Release version 2 5T - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 6 | |
| 6(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-VI 60 - Release Version 0 61 - Release version 1 62 - Release version 2 63 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 6(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-VI 6H - Release Version 0 6A - Release version 1 6B - Release version 2 6C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 6(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-VI 6Q - Release Version 0 6I - Release version 1 6J - Release version 2 6K - Release version 3 [...] |
| 6(R - Z) | Fourth survey conducted under DHS-VI 6Z - Release version 0 6R - Release version 1 6S - Release version 2 6T - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 7 | |
| 7(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-VII 70 - Release Version 0 71 - Release version 1 72 - Release version 2 73 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 7(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-VII 7H - Release Version 0 7A - Release version 1 7B - Release version 2 7C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 7(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-VII 7Q - Release Version 0 7I - Release version 1 7J - Release version 2 7K - Release version 3 [...] |
| 7(R - Z) | Fourth survey conducted under DHS-VII 7Z - Release version 0 7R - Release version 1 7S - Release version 2 7T - Release version 3 [...] |
| Phase 8 | |
| 8(0 - 9) | First survey conducted under DHS-VIII 80 - Release Version 0 81 - Release version 1 82 - Release version 2 83 - Release version 3 [...] |
| 8(A - H) | Second survey conducted under DHS-VIII 8H - Release Version 0 8A - Release version 1 8B - Release version 2 8C - Release version 3 [...] |
| 8(I - Q) | Third survey conducted under DHS-VIII 8Q - Release Version 0 8I - Release version 1 8J - Release version 2 8K - Release version 3 [...] |
| 8(R - Z) | Fourth survey conducted under DHS-VIII 8Z - Release version 0 8R - Release version 1 8S - Release version 2 8T - Release version 3 [...] |
File Formats - CCDDVV[FF]DS.ZIP
|
FF: Format of the Data
|
|
|
Format Code
|
Description |
| __ | Hierarchical (no format indicator)
|
| FL | Flat Data File
|
| SV | SPSS Data File
|
| DT | Stata Data File
|
| SD | SAS Data File
|
Data Structures - CCDDVVFF[DS].ZIP
|
DS: Data Structure for SPA Surveys
|
|
| Structure Code
|
Description |
| SP | SPA Raw Data
|
| SR | SPA Recode Data
|
Types of Working Files
The following reference table lists the types of working files that are included in a distributed dataset .ZIP file, depending of the data format.
|
XXX: File Extension
|
|||||||
| File Extension | Description | Flat ASCII File | Hierarchical File | SPSS Data File | SAS Data File | Stata Data File | Notes |
| .DAT | ASCII data file | YES | YES |
|
|
|
|
| .DCF | Dictionary file for use with CSPro | YES | YES |
|
|
|
not in all files |
| .DCT | Stata dictionary file (syntax) | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
| .DO | Stata syntax file | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
| .DOC | Microsoft word document with country information | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
|
| .DTA | STATA system file |
|
|
|
|
YES |
|
| .FRQ | Unweighted frequency distribution (open with a text editor) | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
|
| .FRW | Weighted frequency distribution (open with a text editor) | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
|
| .MAP | File layout or codebook (open with a text editor) | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
|
| .SAS | SAS data description file (syntax) | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
| .SAV | SPSS system file |
|
|
YES |
|
|
|
| .SAS7BDAT | SAS system file |
|
|
|
YES |
|
|
| .SPS | SPSS data description file (syntax) | YES |
|
|
|
|
|
Please note that the .DOC file is only present in the Individual Recode(IR) and Men's Recode(MR) files.
Examples of Working File Types
Using the Kenya 2003 MEASURE DHS+ as an example, the following table shows the Individual Recode files distributed for each file format.
| Kenya 2003 MEASURE DHS+ |
||||
| Hierarchical Data (KEIR41) | Flat ASCII Data (KEIR41FL) | SPSS Data File (KEIR41SV) | SAS Data File (KEIR41SD) | Stata Data File (KEIR41DT) |
| n/a | n/a | SPSS data file (.SAV) | SAS data file (.SAS7BDAT) | Stata data file (.DTA) |
| ASCII data file (.DAT) | ASCII data file (.DAT) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Dictionary file for use with CSPro (.DCF) | Dictionary file for use with CSPro (.DCF) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| n/a | Stata dictionary file (.DCT) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| n/a | Stata syntax file (.DO) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| n/a | SAS data description file (syntax) (.SAS) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| n/a | SPSS data description file (syntax) (.SPS) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| File layout or codebook (.MAP)* | ||||
| Unweighted frequency distribution (.FRQ)* | ||||
| Weighted frequency distribution (.FRW)* | ||||
| Microsoft word document with country information (.DOC) | ||||
* .MAP, .FRQ and .FRW files may be opened using an ASCII text editor, such as Notepad.
Download Datasets
The DHS Program is authorized to distribute, at no cost, unrestricted survey data files for legitimate academic research. Registration is required for access to data.
Guide to Using Datasets