Commerce Research Library: International Trade Guide: Statistical Databases

Commerce Research Library Resources

Bloomberg Terminal This link opens in a new window
Bloomberg has two functions that provide data on international trade. The ECTR function furnishes data on trade flows between countries including imports, exports and trade deficits and surpluses. The AHOY function provides data on commodity shipments between ports. Other Bloomberg functions that might be of interest to anyone researching international trade are SPLC which analyses supply chains and WCR which furnishes data on currency exchange rates.
EIU Viewpoint This link opens in a new window
EIU Viewpoint has a data tool that includes a series on international trade. Data is available for the import and export of goods for individual countries as well as regions and trading blocs such as ASEAN or the European Union. Viewpoint does not provide comprehensive data on trade flows between two countries or on individual products imported or exported by countries or regions. Data is also available on revenue generated from tourism for each country. Viewpoint includes notes indicating the sources for their data.
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
The online library of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development includes reliable and up-to-date source of data on trade flows between OECD countries and their trading partners and detailed insights into the most recent trends in world trading patterns.
Statista This link opens in a new window
For personalized access, request an account. Statista pulls stats from multiple sources to quickly get a rundown on an industry or topic. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases. Find downloadable charts and reports.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S. This link opens in a new window
This authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States includes several tables of statistics on the international trade of the United States. In the 2021 edition of this work statistics on international trade are located in section 28, ":international AID and Commerce". Imports and exports are broken down by country, state, and even census tract of origin and destination as well by commodity and product.

ITA Resources

Exporter Characteristics Database
Tables profiling U.S. exporting companies by product, market, and location within the United States.

Industry Research
Discover the extraction, manufacturing, service and knowledge based industries, sectors and sub-sectors that drive the global economy.

Manufacturing Industry Tracker
Tracks monthly data on U.S. exports, imports, trade balance, industrial production, employment, and producer price index for 21 manufacturing industries and associated subsectors. Data for 2015 forward.

Metropolitan Export Series
Interactive tools and factsheets showing goods exports from more than 380 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

State Trade Data
Interactive factsheets and databases displaying exports, imports, and other trade-related statistics for all 50 states.

TPIS (Trade Policy Information System)
The TPIS system and web pages repackage trade and macroeconomic statistics from a variety of sources in ways that make it easier to use, combine and analyze data from a variety of publicly available official sources in the U.S. government, the public, and international organizations including, but not limited to, the United Nations (U.N.), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. Aggregations (country, product or other), rankings, shares and other calculations provided on the TPIS web sites are for informational purposes: the calculations provided on the TPIS system are not attributable to or endorsed by the source providers. To access most of the data users must register for a free account. Accounts are limited to U.S. Government employees.

TradeStats Express
Provides annual and quarterly data on U.S. goods trade for 2002 forward. Data are available for all countries and selected regions. Product/Industry detail available at NAICS 2,3,4 and HS 2,4 levels.

Other U.S Government Resources

Foreign Trade Statistics (U.S. Census Bureau)
FOREIGN TRADE is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States. If you're searching for import or export statistics, information on export regulations, commodity classifications, or a host of other trade related topics, this is the place to get the information you need.

GATS (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Trade System)
GATS includes international agricultural, fish, forest and textile products trade statistics dating from the inception of the Harmonized coding system in 1989 to present.

Global Market Finder (U.S. Census Bureau)
Global Market Finder is an interactive tool for finding the biggest export markets by product and destination.

USA Trade Online (U.S Census Bureau)
Provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade^® Online is a dynamic data tool that gives users access to current and cumulative U.S. export and import data with multiple data sets and capabilities.

USITC Dataweb
USITC DataWeb provides U.S. merchandise trade and tariff data in a user-friendly web interface. Trade data for 1989 to the present are available on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or year-to-date basis and can be retrieved using a sophisticated querying tool with features such as user defined country and commodity groups. Users must establish a free account to access this database.

International Organizations

IMF Data
The IMF publishes a range of time series data on IMF lending, exchange rates and other economic and financial indicators. Manuals, guides, and other material on statistical practices at the IMF, in member countries, and of the statistical community at large are also available. Of particular interest to researchers in international trade is the IMF's Direction of Trade data.

ITC Trade Map
The International Trade Centre is a joint agency of the WTO and the UN. The Trade Map covers 220 countries and territories and 5300 products of the Harmonized system.

WITS (World Integrated Trade Solution)
WITS Trade Stat Database is designed with the purpose of providing the latest international merchandise and commercial services trade data and overview of country and region's imports and exports, tariff and non-tariff measures.

UN Comtrade
The United Nations Comtrade database aggregates detailed global annual and monthly trade statistics by product and trading partner for use by governments, academia, research institutes, and enterprises. Data compiled by the United Nations Statistics Division covers approximately 200 countries and represents more than 99% of the world's merchandise trade. Information can be extracted in a variety of formats, including API developer tools for integration into enterprise applications and workflows.

UNCTAD Trade Analysis Information System (TRAINS)
UNCTAD is a trade and market access information system combining data on trade, customs tariffs, and non-tariff measures. TRAINS contains HS-based tariff data for over 170 countries and for several years.

WTO's Integrated Data Base (IDB)
Contains imports by commodity and partner countries and Most Favored Nation (MFN) applied and, where available, data on preferential tariffs at the most detailed commodity level of the national tariffs.

Global Preferential Trade Agreements Database
Provides information on preferential trade agreements (PTAs) around the world, including agreements that have not yet been notified to the World Trade Organization.

International Trade Guide

Commerce Research Library Resources

ITA Resources

Other U.S Government Resources

International Organizations

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