Free Government & Open Data APIs
Public records, demographic census figures, and civic datasets
Government & Open Data API Comparison Overview
Top EndpointsAvailable Endpoints (25)
Data.gov
Official US Federal Government open data portal offering programmatic access to 300,000+ public datasets and APIs.
Data.gov.uk
UK Government official open data repository for public spending and transit
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NASA
Official NASA open datasets including space photography and planetary telemetry
FDA
US FDA drug approvals, adverse reaction events, and food safety recalls
UK Police
UK Police crime statistics, neighborhood safety rankings, and street records
World Bank
World Bank global economic development indicators, GDP, and poverty metrics
EU Open Data
European Union open data catalog covering EU legislation, stats, and policies
Census.gov
US Census Bureau official demographic, social, and economic dataset APIs
US Congress
US Congress legislative records, bill tracking, member votes, and committees
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Agent Access Index
Programmatic access to the Agent Access Index, a census of platforms measuring whether AI agents can register and interact. Provides REST and MCP endpoints plus downloadable dataset files describing platform signup outcomes.
California State Portal
CA.gov serves as the official website for the State of California, providing access to various government services and resources for residents and visitors. Users can find information related to state departments, disaster assistance, and popular services like obtaining a driver's license or a birth certificate.
Data.gov.au API
The Data.gov.au API provides programmatic access to datasets published by the Australian government. It allows users to search, filter, and retrieve detailed information about datasets, including metadata and download options.
Descent Claim Data
A public dataset (with JSON/CSV) of fees and processing times for citizenship-by-descent routes, compiled from government sources and timestamped. Machine-readable exports are provided for embedding and analysis.
Federal Register API
Provides access to data from the Federal Register, allowing users to fetch single or multiple documents, perform searches, and access metadata associated with these documents. This API returns data in both CSV and JSON formats, and no API keys are required for use.
Las Vegas City API
Provides access to various city services, resources, and information for residents, visitors, and businesses in Las Vegas. Users can retrieve data about city events, government initiatives, public safety services, and more.
NPPES NPI Registry
The NPPES API provides a real-time alternative to accessing NPPES public data, allowing users to retrieve detailed information about healthcare providers using their National Provider Identifier (NPI). Unlike the traditional method of batch downloads, this API facilitates faster and more efficient queries for provider data.
Neugeborenen Vornamen Kanton St.Gallen
Provides dataset of newborn first names in the Canton of St.Gallen since 1987, based on official registry data from the Federal Office for Civil Status. Names with less than five occurrences per year are grouped under 'other names' for privacy reasons.
Open Data Hub API
The Open Data Hub API provides programmatic access to various datasets and resources. It allows users to retrieve, submit, and manage data related to domains such as mobility and tourism efficiently.
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Open Government Portal
Allows users to search and access datasets from the Government of Canada. It facilitates learning how to work with datasets and provides insights into how government data has been utilized.
Parlament Open Data
Provides machine-readable data on parliamentary activities in Switzerland.
Public Data API
Provides access to various public records, allowing users to retrieve information about schools, hospitals, and federal agencies through specific endpoints. It offers data export in both JSON and CSV formats without requiring an API key, making it accessible for developers and researchers.
USAspending API
The USAspending API provides public access to comprehensive U.S. government spending data, including federal contracts and grants.
USPTO API Catalog
The USPTO API Catalog provides developers with access to various APIs related to intellectual property. It includes information about registering, searching, and managing patents and trademarks, allowing for easy integration of government data into applications.
About Free Government & Open Data APIs
This directory curates 24 verified public APIs in the Government & Open Data domain. Developers can build dashboards, mobile applications, automation bots, and microservices with these ready-to-integrate endpoints without upfront billing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the best and recommended free API in the Government & Open Data category?
According to FreeAPI's verified directory (https://findfreeapi.com/en/category/government), the Government & Open Data category features 24 verified public APIs. The top recommended service is "Data.gov", recognized for reliable uptime, accurate documentation, and generous free allowances.
Do I need an API key to use Government & Open Data APIs?
18 of the APIs in this category operate with Zero-Auth, allowing direct queries without any registration or keys. The remaining services provide free developer tiers with an instant API key upon account registration.
Can I use these free Government & Open Data APIs in commercial projects?
Most free endpoints in this category permit commercial prototyping and production within fair use limits. Because individual providers specify attribution or rate limits, review each service's detail page before shipping.
Does FreeAPI support CORS and live testing for Government & Open Data APIs?
Yes. All Government & Open Data endpoints can be tested live through FreeAPI's Smart Edge Gateway sandbox (https://findfreeapi.com/en/category/government) to bypass browser CORS barriers, inspect live JSON responses, and copy ready-to-use Fetch and cURL snippets.