OECD statistics contact: STAT.Contact@oecd.org

Specific terms and conditions apply to the use of these data:  http://comtrade.un.org/db/help/LicenseAgreement.aspx

Values are expressed in current USD. Users of OECD's International Trade Statistics databases should note that since February 2002, the national exchange rates for the Euro area countries have been converted into euros.

The option chosen by OECD is to convert exchange rates for periods prior to entry into European Monetary Union (EMU), i.e. prior to 1999 for all members apart from Greece, which acceded in 2001, from the former national currency exchange rate using the appropriate irrevocable exchange rate. Such a conversion facilitates comparisons over time within a country and also preserves the historical evolution (i.e. growth rates). However, pre-EMU euro rates are notional units and are not always suitable to form area aggregates or for cross country comparisons. For further details, see The Statistics Brief Number 2, February 2002.

Quantity units are: Area in square metres, Electrical energy in thousands of kilowatt-hours, Length in meters, Number of items, Number of pairs, Volume in liters, Weight in kilograms, Thousands of items, Number of packages, Dozen of items, Volume in cubic meters, Weight in carats.

Partner country: 280 individual areas are presented in ISO codes or in long label. Economic and geographic country groups are also presented. The geonomenclature is available online.

Flow: Imports, Exports, Re-imports and Re-exports.

Time: From 1961 depending on countries and classifications.

Notes that can be attached to data are: Estimated Value, Includes not available Value for products at lower level, Includes not available Value for detailed partners, Estimated net Weight, Estimated Quantity, Includes not available Quantity for products at lower level, Includes not available Quantity for detailed partners.

The OECD Merchandise Trade Statistics Geonomenclature presents the components of the main economic and geographic zones as well as the detailed statistical territories. All detailed components are also available in Excel format.

Reporting countries:

Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union: Since 1999, Belgium and Luxembourg henceforth publish separate foreign trade results. Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union statistics are available from 1961 to 1992. Belgium data are available since 1993, while for Luxembourg, which can not provide historical data, data are available since 1999.
Belgium's statistics and Luxembourg's statistics are elaborated according to community concepts. Data for Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union were compiled following the national definitions.

Czech Republic, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Poland, and Slovak republic: are now Members of the OECD and are presented in this publication as reporting countries. With respect to the available historical data, OECD-Total includes respectively Mexico from 1990, Hungary and Poland from 1992, the Czech Republic from 1993, Korea from 1994 and Slovak Republic from 1997.

Germany: Includes Eastern Germany since January 1991;

Partner countries:

Germany: includes Eastern Germany on the whole period;

Switzerland and Liechtenstein: depending on reporter countries, trade with Liechtenstein can be included into Switzerland;

Yugoslavia: From 1992 onwards, no longer exists as such. Its constituent countries are Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

Czechoslovakia: From 1993 onwards, no longer exists as such and has been split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

The OECD International Trade by Commodity Statistics database contains values and quantities of exports and imports by partner countries and by commodity or industry. Commodities are available at the most detailed level of the SITC (Revision 2 and 3) and the Harmonised System (HS 1988, HS 1996, HS 2002, HS 2007 and HS 2012).

The database dimensions are: reporter country, partner country, commodity, year, flow and value and quantity.

Thejoint OECD-UN Trade Data Collection and Processing System

The OECD and the United Nation Statistics Division (UNSD) have been working together during the past years to agree on the best statistical treatments of all aspects relating to international trade data and to align their respective data processing practices. Additional information on methodological changes is available in the online document The new and Operational UNSD-OECD Joint Trade Data Collection and Processing System, Methodological Issues.

Both organisations have identical data since 2005 and are also progressively aligning their historical data. The result is an improvement of data quality and data consistency.