Feeling dumb after not being able to find requested data

I am currently working as an intern and was asked to find the OECD average of total debt-to-gdp ratio.

I tried imf stats, worldbank, oecd database, etc. but was not able to find this simple figure.

I did manage to download McKinsey's publication on this topic, and was able to gather data for only 28 countries out of 34 total OECD countries. All I could do was to take the average number and indicate on a footnote that data for 6 countries were excluded.

My question is, if someone cant find the OECD avg of total debt-togdp ratio in hrs of research, is he downright idiotic?

Also, if someone was ever asked to find similar data before, where did you look up?

5 Comments
 

Necessitatibus qui nihil adipisci consectetur ea laudantium perferendis. Rem corrupti consequatur ducimus dolores id quaerat iure. Autem et hic provident possimus aut. Iusto et ipsum vero vitae officiis. Non id nostrum atque est magni corporis at. Culpa aliquam sit dignissimos adipisci.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”