1. Status of OECD’s International Trade Statistics databases
ORGANISATION DE COOPÉRATION ET DE DEVELOPMENT ÉCONOMIQUES
OECD
OCDE
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Status of OECD’s International Trade Statistics databases
STATISTICS DIRECTORATE –
INTERNATIONAL TRADE &
STRUCTURAL ECONOMIC STATISTICS 1 1

2. OECD International Trade databases
Annual data:
Monthly data:
International Trade by Commodity Statistics (ITCS)
Monthly Statistics of International Trade (MSIT)
import and export data
30 OECD countries + CHN, HKG, TWN
260 partner countries
Values (in USD) and quantities
From 1961 onwards
7 classifications :
- by activity : ISIC 2 & 3
- by commodity : HS 88, 96 & 2002 ; SITC 2 & 3
4 types of data
Aggregate trade indicators
Volumes and unit value trade indices
Trade values by SITC sections
Trade values by partner countries
From January 1960 onwards

3. Collection of annual data
50% of 2002 data were available in June 2003 and 100% in February 2004
Timeliness of data release remains a key issue with impacts on:
delivery to UNSD and WTO
publication schedule

4. Dissemination of annual trade data
5 paper versions are released every 2 or 3 months
4 CD ROMs are released every 2 months.
On-line database available as updates progress:
SourceOECD
OLIS
Statistics portal

5. Collection of monthly data
Trends in data transmission (99-03) s:
highest share 61% in 2003
Internet sites use:
Quickest progression
Publication / Disk & CD:
Sharp drop over the last 4 years (from 24% to 6%)

6. Dissemination of monthly data
The MSIT database is published through:
a monthly paper publication
a monthly CD-ROM
On-line access trade data:
With the free statistics portal
OLIS access
SourceOECD

7. Improving transmission through Internet sites
Improving the level of details provided:
Trade by partner country sometimes limited
Figures are usually rounded
Series are often too short to allow historical revisions
The structure of some web sites is usually subject to sudden changes

8. Improving transmission through Internet sites
Improvement needs in the standardization in the formats used:
Too many different formats used
Improvement in the use of modern methods, using public institutional sites providing detailed and comprehensive files
If not possible, transmission of customized files

9. General issues for discussion
Need of a better co-operation on:
Data and Metadata availability and comprehensiveness
Advance schedules of data sets availability
Agreed and stable Internet site techniques to develop automatic monthly data transfer
Reception of monthly revised data on a regular basis