The international organization of 26 of the industrialized, free market-economy, democratic countries of Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, founded after World War II. Representatives meet to exchange information and attempt to coordinate their policies in order to achieve the highest possible economic growth. The OECD Secretariat gathers statistical and policy information, processes it in comparable form, performs analyses, and makes forecasts. Most of this information is published and made available to the public. Data from 1960-1991 in over 300 data series, a number of which pertain to health and health care, are available for purchase on computer discs.