Dataset on public engagement with the world health organization on X (Twitter) from 2008 to 2021

This data article describes a dataset generated from the official communications of the World Health Organization (WHO) on X (formerly Twitter). The dataset comprises 46,667 tweets published between 2008 and 2021. For each post, the dataset includes public engagement metrics such as the number of likes, retweets, and replies. The utility of this data lies in its extensive longitudinal coverage, allowing for the quantitative analysis of public discourse and popular legitimacy toward a major International Organization (IO), particularly in response to key global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. This dataset provides a unique resource for researchers in global health governance, computational social science, crisis communication, and public relations.