comtrade

Comtrade is the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database, a global repository of official international merchandise trade data maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). It collects and disseminates trade statistics reported by national authorities, providing time series that cover imports and exports by reporter country, partner country, year, and commodity.

Data in Comtrade are organized around commodity classifications such as the Harmonized System (HS) at various levels, typically enabling analysis by six-digit HS codes and broader groupings. The database aims to support data-driven analysis of trade patterns, market access, trade balances, and the impact of policy changes. It includes records for a large majority of UN member states and other economies, with data spanning multiple decades.

Access and formats: Comtrade offers an online interface for manual queries and a programmatic API for automated access. Data can be downloaded in formats such as CSV and SDMX, with options to filter by reporter, partner, year, commodity code, and trade direction (imports or exports). The API facilitates retrieval of customized datasets for research, journalism, and policy work.

Quality and limitations: Because Comtrade relies on national reporting, data quality and coverage vary between countries and over time. Revisions, incomplete reporting, and differences in classifications or units can affect comparability. Users often need to account for these limitations and, where possible, harmonize data across periods or sources.

See also: International trade statistics; Harmonized System; SDMX.