---
id: openbb-imf
version: "2.1.3"
license: AGPL-3.0-only
license_treatment: agpl
maintenance: active
---

# openbb-imf — https://datahelp.imf.org/knowledgebase/articles/630877-api

License: agpl · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 86.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

openbb-imf is a provider extension that plugs IMF data access into the OpenBB platform's economy module. It wraps the IMF's SDMX API (which organizes data into dataflows like CPI, trade, and shipping metrics) and translates it into OpenBB's standard symbol-based query interface. Instead of learning IMF's dimension-based parameter model, users construct simple ticker-like symbols (e.g., `CPI::CP01`) and call familiar OpenBB endpoints like `obb.economy.indicators()` or `obb.economy.cpi()`.

The extension handles the heavy lifting: it fetches and caches IMF metadata, validates user inputs against IMF's constraints API, converts IMF codes into human-readable labels, and returns results with both data and series metadata. It also exposes utility endpoints for discovering available dataflows, indicators, and presentation tables, which the OpenBB Workspace UI uses to populate dropdown menus. The package depends on openbb-core, openbb-economy, openbb-platform-api, async-lru for caching, and defusedxml for safe XML parsing.

Use it for:

- Retrieve CPI or inflation data for multiple countries and time periods using standardized symbol syntax without learning IMF's SDMX parameter model.
- Access direction-of-trade or shipping chokepoint data through OpenBB's economy module as part of a broader economic analysis workflow.
- Build a dashboard or research tool that queries IMF indicators programmatically, leveraging OpenBB Workspace UI integration for metadata discovery.
- Combine IMF time series with other OpenBB providers in a single Python script for cross-source economic data analysis.
- Explore available IMF dataflows and their dimensions via utility endpoints to understand what data is available before constructing queries.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a provider extension for the OpenBB platform that exposes International Monetary Fund (IMF) data through standardized endpoints, handling SDMX API access to IMF dataflows with automatic metadata normalization and symbol-based querying.

Yes, if you are already using OpenBB and need IMF economic data. The extension integrates cleanly into the platform, has low install friction, and is actively maintained. However, the AGPL-3.0-only license requires that any code using this package (including derivative works) be open-sourced under the same license—a significant constraint for proprietary applications. If you are building closed-source software, you will need to either accept the license terms or find an alternative IMF data source.

## Install

pip install openbb-imf
uv add openbb-imf
poetry add openbb-imf

## Installing openbb-imf

Before you install: Low friction installation as a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained with a recent release. Requires openbb-core and openbb-platform-api as runtime dependencies, which must be available in your environment.

License in practice: Licensed under AGPL-3.0-only, which requires that any modifications or derivative works using this package must also be released under the same license and have source code made available. This is a copyleft restriction suitable for open-source projects but may conflict with proprietary software strategies.

Quickstart:

pip install openbb-imf
openbb-build

from openbb import obb
indicators = obb.economy.available_indicators(provider="imf", dataflows="CPI,PI")
data = obb.economy.indicators(provider="imf", symbol="CPI::CP01")

Requires Python 3.10 or later. The openbb-build command must be run after installation to generate static assets before using the provider.

Verify before relying:

- Whether openbb-core and openbb-platform-api are automatically installed or must be pre-configured separately.
- Performance characteristics when querying large datasets or making many concurrent requests via async-lru.
- Specific IMF data coverage limits or frequency update schedules not documented in the excerpt.

## Package facts

- License: AGPL-3.0-only (agpl)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 86.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

IMF data provider for OpenBB, international monetary fund API access, economic indicators IMF, SDMX data integration, OpenBB economy extension, IMF CPI shipping trade data, time series economic data, imf-data, economic-indicators, openbb-extension

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