IMF Statistical Topics
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The Direction of Trade Statistics DOTS database contains data on the value of merchandise exports and imports between each country and all its trading partners. Total bilateral and multilateral exports and imports are aggregated at national or regional group level. For each reporting country or group, all the trading partners are listed.
All exports are valued Free on Board f. Imports are usually reported Cost including Insurance and Freight c. Area and world aggregates showing trade flows between major areas of the world are presented as well. Reported data are supplemented by estimates whenever such data are not current or are not available in monthly frequency.
As most of imf trade statistics by country countries report in their national currency, US dollar equivalents are obtained by converting data at period average exchange rates published in lines 'rf' or 'rh' on the country tables in International Financial Statistics. Data are generally converted at their highest available frequency and are subsequently aggregated to longer periods: Each individual country's export data is shown f.
For the calculation of area totals the import imf trade statistics by country reported f. Free on Board means the seller's obligation to deliver is fulfilled when the goods have passed over the ship's rail at the named port of shipment. This means that the buyer has to bear all costs and risks of loss of, or damage to, the goods from that point.
Cost including Insurance and Freight means the seller must pay the costs and freight necessary to bring the goods to the named port of destination but the risk imf trade statistics by country loss of, or damage to, the goods, as well as any additional costs due to events occurring after the time the goods have been delivered on board the vessel, is transferred from the imf trade statistics by country to the buyer imf trade statistics by country the goods pass the ship's rail in the port of shipment.
In addition, the seller has to procure marine insurance against the buyer's risk of loss of or damage to the goods during the carriage. The seller contracts for insurance and pays the insurance premium.
The buyer should note that under the c. However, in practice, they are applied to all imports and exports. UN guidelines recommend that imports be valued at the c. For exports, the guidelines recommend valuation at the f. There can be inconsistencies between exports to a partner and the partner's recorded imports from a particular country, i. This is due to the different ways countries report their trade, i. The Guide to Direction of Trade Statistics provides more information on sources of inconsistency.
Updated once a month, the IMF Direction of Trade Statistics contains overquarterly and annual time series data. The 23 industrial countries and about 40 developing countries report their data by month on a regular basis. In recent years, these countries have represented more than 85 percent of the value of recorded world exports and imports.
Other countries report monthly data that are less current, or they compile and provide only quarterly or annual data. In general the data for individual countries are reported by official national agencies to the Fund or through their official publications. For some countries, the data reported to the United Nations Statistical Division have been used.
For most member countries of the European Union, monthly data are sourced from Eurostat. In the IMF DOTS 'country' does not only refer to a territorial entity that is a state as understood by international law and practice, the term also covers some non-sovereign territorial entities such as the European Union or Africa.
The partner country information imf trade statistics by country it possible to estimate trade not only for countries less current in their reporting but also imf trade statistics by country countries for which data are not available from other sources.
For a given year the percentage of world trade that is estimated declines over time, as data reported by countries replace the estimates. Where data is not available for both trading partners during the latest ten years or more, estimated trade flow data is not provided. Stat is freely available to all. Effective January 1stthe IMF introduced a new policy whereby access to the IMF online statistics databases became free to all users.
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