The DHS Program

What The DHS Program does

The DHS Program, founded in 1984 and implemented by ICF (NASDAQ: ICFI) from Rockville, Maryland, is the world's largest source of nationally representative demographic and health survey data for developing countries. It has conducted over 400 surveys across more than 90 countries, covering fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, gender, and wealth. Its core technology is a standardized survey, data-processing, and dissemination platform that turns multi-country field surveys into comparable indicators published through multiple channels: downloadable datasets, the DHS API, the STATcompiler custom-table tool, a Spatial Data Repository for GIS-enabled analysis (built with the U.S. Census Bureau), a mobile app, an IPUMS-DHS harmonized microdata partnership with the University of Minnesota, and a 2025 DHS AI Assistant (MCP) that lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT query the API in plain language.

The program is funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with additional support from partners including the World Bank, and operates with 51–100 dedicated staff alongside ICF's broader technical infrastructure. Datasets are distributed free of charge to registered academic researchers under a freemium model; registration is required and re-distribution of microdata is not permitted. The DHS Program's customer base spans Ministries of Health, National Statistics Offices, donor organizations, academic researchers, journalists, and program managers who use the data to plan, monitor, and evaluate population, health, and nutrition programs, including progress against the Sustainable Development Goals. The wealth index methodology, developed with partial World Bank funding, is a notable proprietary instrument that categorizes households into five wealth quintiles and enables cross-country comparison of health equity outcomes.

Name

The DHS Program

Legal name

ICF

Website

https://dhsprogram.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The DHS Program, implemented by ICF since 1984, conducts nationally representative demographic and health surveys in 90+ developing countries and disseminates standardized indicators via datasets, an API, STATcompiler, a Spatial Data Repository, a mobile app, and a 2025 AI Assistant (MCP), serving governments, researchers, donors, and journalists under USAID primary funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Data and Survey Analytics

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Information (51)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Statistics & Reporting (National/State/Local Indicators) (HLAJAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Data, Vital Statistics & Population Health Informatics (BPAIAJAM), National Statistics & Census Administration (BPAIAAAF), Maternal, Child & Reproductive Health Analytics (HLAJAJAF), Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning (SRH/FP) Programs (BPADAIAD), Disease & Condition Surveillance Programs (HLAJANAB)

Keywords

• Demographic health surveys
• Population health data
• Global health statistics
• Health indicator analytics
• Spatial health mapping

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Dataset Distribution: The DHS Program is authorized to distribute unrestricted survey data files at no cost for legitimate academic research. Registration is required for dataset access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The DHS Program collects, aggregates, and disseminates nationally representative demographic and health survey data from more than 90 developing countries, covering fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, and wealth. Its core outputs are standardized datasets, interactive analytical tools (STATcompiler, DHS API, Spatial Data Repository, Mobile App, and the DHS AI Assistant via MCP), and survey publications, made available at no cost for legitimate academic research.

Product overview

The DHS Program is a data collection and dissemination program that conducts surveys on population, health, and nutrition in developing countries. The core product portfolio centers on data access and analysis tools, led by the DHS AI Assistant (MCP) for natural language querying of statistics, STATcompiler for custom table generation, the DHS API for developer access to aggregated indicators, the Spatial Data Repository for GIS-enabled geographic analysis, and the DHS Mobile App for mobile access to survey indicators. Data products include downloadable survey datasets (free for academic research), IPUMS-DHS harmonized samples, and spatial data layers including boundaries, indicator data, modeled surfaces, population estimates, and covariates. Publications include Final Reports, Analytical Reports, and the Guide to DHS Statistics. The program also provides topic-specific resources on areas such as Wealth Index methodology, childhood mortality, family planning, malaria, nutrition, and SDGs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DHS AI Assistant (MCP)
• STATcompiler
• DHS API
• Spatial Data Repository
• DHS Mobile App
• Download Datasets
• IPUMS-DHS

Quantifiable outcome

• Modern contraceptive use among married women in Malawi rose from 7.4% to 66.4% between 1992 and 2024, tracked through DHS surveys
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ICFcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerICF is the implementing partner for The DHS Program. Located at 530 Gaither Road, Suite 500, Rockville, MD 20850. ICF provides technical expertise in survey design, data collection, and analysis for demographic and health surveys.
• U.S. Census BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Spatial Data Repository, providing geographically-linked health and demographic data from both The DHS Program and the U.S. Census Bureau for mapping in geographic information systems (GIS). Also provides subnational population estimates.
• IPUMS-DHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPUMS-DHS provides harmonized international datasets from DHS surveys, allowing for comparative and longitudinal research across countries and time periods.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• WorldPop (University of Southampton): WorldPop produces high-resolution spatial demographic and health data products, leveraging satellite imagery, census data, and survey inputs to map population and health indicators. It intersects with DHS's Spatial Data Repository mission of geographically-linked health data and competes for the GIS-enabled public health analysis user base.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is a major independent research institution that conducts large-scale household surveys (e.g., National Immunization Survey, NSCH, NHIS) and health-related data collection for federal agencies. It shares DHS's model of conducting methodologically rigorous surveys on health and demographics, with overlapping skills in survey design and dissemination.
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): IHME produces the Global Burden of Disease estimates and other modeled health indicators covering most countries. While IHME relies primarily on modeling rather than primary surveys, it serves overlapping research and policy customers and is increasingly a complementary (and sometimes substitute) source for global health statistics.

Direct peers

• UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS): UNICEF's MICS program is the closest direct comparable to DHS — both conduct nationally representative household surveys on health, nutrition, education, and demographics in low- and middle-income countries, producing internationally comparable indicators for SDG monitoring. MICS and DHS often run in parallel in the same countries.
• World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS): LSMS is the World Bank's flagship household survey program producing multi-topic data on income, consumption, health, education, and employment in developing countries. Like DHS, it produces publicly available microdata for research and policy, and serves similar government and academic researcher customers.
• Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: PMA conducts frequent, nationally representative surveys on family planning and health indicators in select countries, using mobile data collection. PMA overlaps directly with DHS on family planning and reproductive health measurement, targeting similar country customers (Ministries of Health, donors) with a faster-survey cadence.

Broad incumbents

• UN Statistics Division: The UN Statistics Division compiles and disseminates demographic, social, and economic statistics from national statistical systems globally, including population estimates and SDG indicators. It is a broader incumbent that aggregates data DHS also contributes to and helps set the methodological standards DHS data feeds into.
• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund): UNFPA is the UN agency focused on reproductive health, family planning, and population dynamics, producing global datasets and supporting country-level data systems. It overlaps significantly with DHS subject areas (fertility, family planning, maternal health) and serves similar Ministries of Health and donor stakeholders.
• World Health Organization Global Health Observatory: WHO's Global Health Observatory aggregates and disseminates global health statistics across all WHO member states, drawing on country-reported and survey data. While WHO operates a much broader mandate, it is a major producer and disseminator of internationally comparable health indicators that compete for the same policy-maker and donor attention DHS serves.

Others

• IPUMS (University of Minnesota): IPUMS harmonizes and disseminates census and survey microdata, including IPUMS-DHS as a formal partnership with DHS. While IPUMS is a partner rather than a competitor, it is thematically adjacent as a major provider of harmonized demographic microdata for global comparative research.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DHSprogram
• Facebookfacebook.com/DHSprogram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dhs-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The DHS Program