Provided by the UN
Statistics Division
Powered by the OICT Unite Analytics
The UN Statistics
Division (UNSD) has created these interactive visualizations of downloadable
time-series data that reflect the very latest trade data available in UN
Comtrade. In addition, to the extent possible, the data gaps were estimated and
flagged accordingly. Countries’ export
and import data are displayed in a world map that is color-coded by trade
intensity and visualizations of trade balances, top trading partners, top traded
commodities, etc. and it can be further customized by selecting individual or
multiple countries, regions and/or commodities, and period.
About the data
The United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics
Database (UN Comtrade) contains detailed goods imports and exports statistics
reported by statistical authorities of close to 200 countries or areas. It
concerns annual trade data from 1962 to the most recent year. UN Comtrade is
considered the most comprehensive trade database available with more than 3
billion records.
UN Comtrade data covers trade in goods only
and are compiled on a customs basis. This means they are not compatible with
data collected on a balance of payments basis. All data are reported in current
US dollar values, calculated using an average annual exchange rate. This is
calculated by weighting the monthly exchange rate with the monthly volume of
trade.
Commodity data are available through the
interactive tool, based on the Standard International Trade Classification
(SITC), Rev.3 at the 2 and 3 digit levels (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=14). The original data is normally reported in
the latest revision of Harmonized System (HS), and is then converted by UNSD to
SITC Rev.3 using appropriate correlation tables (available at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/conversions/HS%20Correlation%20and%20Conversion%20tables.htm). Please
note that if the scope of a heading in one classification is split between
scopes of several headings in the other classification only an approximate
correlation is possible.
As documented in UN Comtrade guidance the
value of ‘re-exports’ and ‘re-imports’ are included in
the value of ‘exports’ and ‘imports’ respectively. For further information on
re-exports and re-imports please see here.
Data in this visualization consists of data as
reported by UN Comtrade (at three-digit level of SITC Rev. 3 and detailed
trading partners breakdown) and estimated data for missing reporters. The data
are estimated either through the extrapolation of the data of the two adjacent
years, or, if this is not possible, through the use of the data reported by the
trading partners (so called mirror data). Mirror statistics is also used in
case the partner distribution or confidential data make it necessary to adjust
the reported data. In addition, modifications to the received data are made in
cases where the provided data are obviously incomplete, in particular in the
case of unreported petroleum oils exports in merchandise data.
The data are regularly refreshed and missing
data gaps are estimated every 2nd week taking into account incoming
new/revised datasets. This means that
the data available through the visualization will always reflect the very
latest data available on the UN Comtrade website with maximum lag time of one
month. The information on the latest data update is made available within the
visualization.
The compositions of the regional groupings are
based on those used in the UN International Trade Statistics Yearbook,
available here: http://comtrade.un.org/pb/groupings.aspx.
About the visualization
tool
This interactive visualization tool makes use
of the Qlik technology (http://www.qlik.com) provided by Office of Information and
Communication Technology of the UN (http://unite.un.org/services/unite-analytics).
Abbreviations and Explanation of symbols
Names of some
countries (or areas) or groups of countries (or areas) and of some commodities
or groups of commodities have been abbreviated.
Exact titles of countries or commodities can be found in various
editions of the following publications:
(i) Standard
Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use
(ii) Standard International Trade
Classification (SITC)
In addition, the following abbreviations
and symbols are used in this data visualization:
Not available................................................... blank
Magnitude of less than half the unit used....... 0
or 0.0
Thousand....................................................... thsd
Million............................................................. mln
Billion.............................................................. bln
Trillion............................................................. tln
Average.......................................................... Avg.
Not elsewhere specified................................. nes
U.S. dollar....................................................... US$
Imports........................................................... Imp
Exports........................................................... Exp
Balance........................................................... Bal
Not included elsewhere....................................n.i.e.
Limitations
Data on trade in services are not currently included
in this visualization. Data on international trade in services are available on
our beta trade data extraction interface at http://comtrade.un.org/data/.
The partner "Areas NES (not elsewhere
specified)" is used (a) for low value trade and (b) if the partner
designation was unknown to the country or if an error was made in the partner
assignment. The reporting country does not send the UN details of the trading
partner in these specific cases. Sometimes reporters do this to protect company
information. It is not possible to display “Areas, NES” and other
non-geographically specific areas on the map. When data are available for these
partners it will be displayed in the relevant charts.
The values of the reported detailed commodity
data do not necessarily sum up to the total trade value for a given country
dataset. Due to confidentiality, countries may not report some of its detailed
trade. This trade will - however - be included at the higher commodity level
and in the total trade value.
Countries (or areas) do not necessarily report
their trade statistics for each and every year. To the extent possible, data
gaps are estimated (see About Data section for estimation methodology).
Imports reported by one country do not
coincide with exports reported by its trading partner. Differences are due to
various factors including valuation (imports CIF, exports FOB), differences in
inclusions/ exclusions of particular commodities, timing etc.
Almost all countries report as partner country
for imports the country of origin, which is determined by the rules of origin
established by each country.
Map
Please note that the boundaries on the map may
not reflect current political delimitations of countries.
Further information
Further information on the trade in goods data
produced by UN Comtrade is available in the Comtrade User Guide and in the International
Trade Statistics Knowledgebase
Information on the data reported by each
country, including availability and explanatory notes, is available here.
License and Copyright
Data from the UN Comtrade database are copyrighted by the United
Nations.
For publication of UN Comtrade data in a few tables or graphs in
newspaper articles, journals, other magazines or books, it is not necessary to
request permission; please refer to the source of the data as “DESA/UNSD,
United Nations Comtrade database”. The full Policy on Use and Re-use of UN
Comtrade information is available here.
Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of material on UN
Comtrade do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of
the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any
country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the
delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. Where the designation “country or
area” appears on this internet site, it covers countries, territories or areas.