The availability of accurate, timely and comparable international trade statistics is key for informed policymaking. However, trade data as reported by countries often lack the required level of detail, are inconsistent, or present challenges such as asymmetries (i.e. the exports of country A to country B rarely match the imports of B from A, both for merchandise and for services trade). To mitigate these problems and enable a better understanding of global trade patterns, the OECD produces two analytical datasets, the OECD Balanced International Merchandise Trade dataset (BIMTS) and the OECD-WTO Balanced Trade in Services dataset (BaTIS). Both build on officially reported statistics and rely on transparent methodologies, developed in collaboration with national statistical offices and other international organisations.
Measuring international trade
In an interconnected world, international trade plays a crucial role in economic development. However, keeping track of the flows of goods and services across countries is no easy task, due to the complexity of international supply chains and the growing role of digitally delivered trade. The OECD collects, harmonises, and disseminates various statistics related to international trade and globalisation. Building on officially reported data, the OECD also addresses issues like data gaps, asymmetries, and other data complexities to provide analysts and policymakers with better evidence and more reliable insights. Through strong collaboration with its Members, the OECD leads in advancing measurement techniques and contributes to setting global standards for measuring international trade.
Key links
Key messages
International transport and insurance costs, which correspond to the value of the transport and insurance services performed to deliver the goods from the border of the exporting country to the border of the importing country, have a direct and material impact on trade patterns and on a country’s competitiveness. Despite their importance, quantifying these costs has long been a challenge for statisticians and policymakers alike. The OECD provides this information in the International Transport and Insurance Costs of merchandise trade (ITIC) database, which includes reported data as well as estimates and covers over 200 economies and partners and more than 1,200 products.
International trade statistics provide a picture of trade flows between countries, broken down by types of goods and services. However, such conventional statistics do not offer insights into the actors who are engaged in cross-border trade. The OECD Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (TEC) database aims to fill this gap and contains international annual trade in goods data broken down by different categories of enterprises. The data provide a solid basis for policy analyses that explore which types of firms are responsible for international trade in goods. It answers questions like who are the firms that are engaged in foreign markets, and what are their characteristics (industry, size, and type of ownership).
Context
G20 merchandise and services trade expands in the third quarter of 2024
G20 merchandise trade expanded in Q3 2024, as measured in current US dollars, following mixed performance in the previous quarter. G20 merchandise exports grew by 0.4% compared with Q2 2024, while imports increased by 1.5%, largely driven by trade growth in North America and Europe. Preliminary estimates indicate that G20 trade in services continued to expand in Q3 2024. G20 services exports rose by 2.8%, supported by strong export growth in China, while imports expanded by 1.4%.
Vessel traffic data provide timely information on maritime trade
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracks vessels movements across the globe. Using these data, made available in the UN Global Platform, the OECD developed a novel methodology to identify ports and build indicators aimed at monitoring port congestion and trends in maritime trade flows. The indicators, presented in a dashboard, are updated on a monthly basis.
