International trade statistics track the movement of goods and services between countries. Below are listings of the most commonly used international trade statistics resources.
International Trade
International trade is the exchange of goods, services, and capital across international borders or territories. It allows countries to access products and resources they may not produce domestically. This guide directs you to authoritative information resources that provide information on the global trade environment, including data and statistics on imports and exports, international treaties and agreements, tariffs, and trade law.
Trade Classifications
What are trade classifications and why are they important?
All imports and exports must be classified for Customs purposes. Therefore, each individual good and service is assigned a classification code within a specific classification system.
Trade classification systems are important tools for organizing and analyzing international trade data. They provide standardized frameworks for categorizing goods and services, making it possible to compare trade statistics across countries and over time. The following highlights commonly used systems for merchandise trade:
Harmanized System (HS)
The Harmonized System (HS) is an internationally standardized system of names and numbers used to classify traded products and used by all customs services. Developed and maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO), the HS is used by more than 200 countries as the basis for their customs tariffs and for compiling international trade statistics.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
is the standard used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to classify businesses by type of economic activity. NAICS provides a consistent framework for collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data on the North American economy.
Standard International Trade Classification (SITC)
The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) is a system developed by the United Nations to classify internationally traded goods in a way that facilitates economic analysis. Unlike other systems designed for customs or tariffs, SITC is intended for statistical and analytical use. It is particularly useful for comparing trade data over time and across countries.
Schedule B (Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities)
Schedule B (Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities)
A system used by the U.S. Census Bureau to classify products exported from the United States for statistical purposes. It is based on the international Harmonized System (HS), which shares the same first six digits but sometimes extends to 10 digits to provide more detailed classification tailored to U.S. export reporting needs. Exporters are required to use Schedule B codes when filing export documentation through the Automated Export System (AES).
Concordances
Concordances link these different classification schemes. These tools help you interpret trade flows, conduct market analyses, or comply with reporting requirements.
Trade Statistics
Trade statistics are important for research and policy analysis when studying international trade. This section lists free and subscription-based resources used by academic and professional researchers to access international trade data.
International Trade Statistics
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U.S. / North American Statistics
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