Skip to content
UN Comtrade Help Center

UN Comtrade Help Center

  • UN Comtrade website

Getting Started

  • Welcome to UN Comtrade
  • Read Me First (Disclaimer)
  • Use Cases
  • How to Access UN Comtrade data?
  • Subscription Plans
  • UN Comtrade Data Processing and Dissemination Pipeline
  • Policy on use and re-dissemination
  • Premium Subscribers
  • How to create an account
  • Acquiring API Subscription Keys
  • Who do we contact for support?
  • Can I book a demo of the UN Comtrade platform?

FAQ

  • Policy on use and re-dissemination
  • FAQs on Use and Re-dissemination
  • List of References & Parameter Codes
  • Exports from one country may not always align perfectly with the imports of its trading partners.
  • Bilateral asymmetries
  • Issues with UN Comtrade Website?
  • Can I book a demo of the UN Comtrade platform?
  • Why are some converted datasets not accessible in the UI?
  • What is “SITC LTS”?
  • Why does the commodity description for some HS codes differ slightly from the official WCO version?
  • Trade valuation
  • How to Access UN Comtrade data?
  • Mode of Transport and Trade Routes
  • Does UN Comtrade provide buyer/supplier-level data?
  • What is bulk file download?
  • How do I use wildcards to query data?
  • How to use UN Comtrade via World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS)
  • What are the data sources for UN Comtrade?
  • Which new data items have been added to UN Comtrade datasets?
  • How to retrieve data for “World” exports to a country in UN Comtrade?
  • What is data preview?
  • What is data delivery?
  • Conversion factors and current/constant value
  • Supplementary Quantity Units
  • Are 6-digit commodity codes included in 4-digit commodity codes or are they separate?
  • Reported and Converted Data: Commodity Conversion Issues
  • Premium Trial Subscription
  • Who do we contact for support?
  • Showcases in Visualization Labs

Premium

  • Premium Subscribers
  • UN Comtrade Tools
  • Menu: Bulk Files

Metadata

  • Country nomenclature and groupings
  • Historical Data 1900-1960 on IMTS
  • Correlation between ISIC and SITC codes (or Commodity and Industry)
  • Conversion factors and current/constant value
  • Which new data items have been added to UN Comtrade datasets?
  • What are the data sources for UN Comtrade?
  • Supplementary Quantity Units
  • Reporters and Partners
  • Taiwan, Province of China Trade Data
  • Data Conversion
  • Intermediate Goods in Trade Statistics
  • HS 2017 code 3002.19 and HS 2022 code 3822.19
  • HS 2007 code 2916.36
  • Non-Monetary Gold in Trade Classifications (SITC, HS)
  • Areas not elsewhere specified
  • Why are China’s re-imports so high?
  • Second Partner Country
  • UN Comtrade and UNData
  • Tariffline product code description
  • Shuttle Trade
  • Trade with itself
  • Reporter country codes and their custom areas
  • Reported and Converted Data: Commodity Conversion Issues
  • Quantity unit information in detailed level data
  • Data Confidentiality in UN Comtrade
  • EU in UN Comtrade
  • Definition of luxury goods
  • Exports from one country may not always align perfectly with the imports of its trading partners.
  • Changes in trade reporting practices of countries with colonies
  • Reporting Period – Calendar Year
  • Measurement of iron trade, specifically in used cars
  • Leasing of aircraft – financial leasing
  • Hong Kong trade with China
  • Historical data on International Merchandise Trade Statistics (1900-1960)
  • Free Zones and Bunkers
  • Food provided on airlines – Transportation Services
  • Country Codes
  • China: Data availability before 1984
  • Italy: Change in Statistical Territory

Definitions

  • Trade valuation
  • Bilateral asymmetries
  • Special Trade System
  • Modes of Supply
  • Economic Territory and Statistical Territory
  • Distinction between Exports and Re-exports / Imports and Re-imports

Do more

  • UN Comtrade Tools
  • Developer tools for UN Comtrade Data

User Guide

  • How to create an account
  • Home page
  • Menu: Data
  • Menu: Data Availability
  • Menu: Bulk Files
  • Menu: Metadata
  • UN Comtrade Tools
  • UN Comtrade API
  • Showcases in Visualization Labs
  • Premium Trial Subscription
  • What is data preview?
  • What is data delivery?
  • What is tariffline data?
  • How to query data
  • How do I use wildcards to query data?
  • Downloading all data by period
  • How to use UN Comtrade via World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS)

Methodology and Manuals

  • Concepts and definitions of International Merchandise Trade Statistics
  • Concepts and definitions of Statistics of International Trade in Services
  • UN Comtrade Data Processing and Dissemination Pipeline
  • Compilation Methodology
  • Historical Data 1900-1960 on IMTS
  • IMTS Publication List
  • HS, SITC, BEC conversion and correspondence tables
  • Quantity and Weight Data in UN Comtrade

Trade in Services

  • Negative values in trade in services
  • Modes of Supply
  • EBOPS 2002: Extended Balance of Payments Services Classification
View Categories
  • Home
  • Docs
  • Metadata
  • Areas not elsewhere specified

Areas not elsewhere specified

4 min read

Areas not elsewhere specified (Areas, NES)

The partner “Areas NES (not elsewhere specified)” is used (a) for low value trade and (b) if the partner designation was unknown to the country or if an error was made in the partner assignment. The reporting country does not send us the details of the trading partner in these specific cases. Sometimes reporters do this to protect company information.

So, one could say that “Area nes” is a group of partner countries, but the components of the group vary by reporter, by year and by commodity.

Prior to the implementation of the current processing system, there were 16 groupings under areas not elsewhere specified (Areas, NES). As of 1 January 2006, the are only 7 groupings under areas not elsewhere specified (Areas, NES) which was a result of groupings either discontinued or merged together to form new groupings. Areas, not elsewhere specified (Areas, NES) are now associated with continents, whereas previously they were associated with regions.

Areas, NES (for datasets processed before January 2006):

CodeDescriptionContinue to Use(Yes/No)
472Central African Monetary and Economic Union region, not elsewhere specifiedNo
899Areas, not elsewhere specifiedYes
471Central American Common Market, not elsewhere specifiedNo
129Caribbean, not elsewhere specifiedNo
221Eastern Europe, not elsewhere specifiedNo
697European Free Trade Association, not elsewhere specifiedNo
492Europe EU, not elsewhere specifiedNo
473Latin American Integration Association, not elsewhere specifiedYes
637North America, the Caribbean and Central America not elsewhere specifiedYes
290Northern Africa, not elsewhere specifiedNo
527Oceania, not elsewhere specifiedYes
577Other Africa, not elsewhere specifiedYes
490Other Asia, not elsewhere specifiedYes
568Other Europe, not elsewhere specifiedYes
636Rest of America, not elsewhere specifiedNo
879Western Asia, not elsewhere specifiedNo


Areas, NES (for datasets processed after January 2006):

CodeDescription
899Areas, not elsewhere specified
473South America, not elsewhere specified
637North and Central America, not elsewhere specified
527Oceania, not elsewhere specified
577Africa, not elsewhere specified
490Asia, not elsewhere specified
568Europe, not elsewhere specified


Related Questions:

Q: I could not find anything in the knowledge base about reporters such as Other Europe, nes and Other Africa, nes.

A: If you combine both lists there shouldn’t be any duplication. The new 7 Areas NES defined were planned for the datasets starting in the year 2000. The datasets beginning with year 2005 should be referring to the 7 new Areas Nes.

Since you need 2005 datasets, it is useful to map the old Areas NES groups into the new NES. Please note these are not new codes but codes which are redefined.

Below is the mapping between old NES to new NES:

899 – Areas, not elsewhere specified
473 – South America, not elsewhere specified – includes 129 (Caribbean, nes) (old)
637 – North and Central America, nes – includes 636+471(Rest of America, nes + CACM)
527 – Oceania, nes
577 – Africa nes – includes 472+290 (Central African Monetary and Economic Union region, nes +
North Africa, nes)
490- Asia, nes – includes 879 (Western Asia, nes)
568- Europe, nes – includes 492 + 697 + 221 (Europe EU, nes + European Free Trade Association,nes + Eastern Europe, nes)

Q. What is Special categories as a partner country?

The partner “Areas NES (not elsewhere specified)” is used (a) for low value trade and (b) if the partner designation was unknown to the country or if an error was made in the partner assignment. The reporting country did not send us the details of the trading partner in those specific cases. Sometimes reporters do this to protect company information.

So, you could say that “Areas nes” is a group of partner countries, but the components of the group will vary per reporter, per year and per comodity.

The partner “Special Categories” (code 839) is used by a reporting country if it does not want the partner breakdown to be disclosed. The use of this partner code depends on the combination of reporting country, trade flow and specific commodity.

The distinction between an “unknown partner country” and an “undisclosed partner country” could be mixed up at times.

Both “Free Zone” (code 838) and “Bunkers” (code 837) are trading partner entities.

“Free Zones” belong to the geographical and economic territory of a country but not to its customs territory. For the purpose of trade statistics the transactions between the customs territory and the free zones are recorded. Free zones can be commercial free zones (duty free shops) or industrial free zones.

“Bunkers” are ship stores and aircraft supplies, which consists mostly of fuels and food.

Q: United States Minor Outlying Islands (581)

A: United States Minor Outlying Islands (581) are made up of individual partner entities of US Miscellaneous Pacific Islands (849), Midway Island (488) and Wake Island (872). Therefore, 581 = 849 + 488 + 872. US Minor Outlying Islands does not report as a statistical territory.

Share This Article :
  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
Non-Monetary Gold in Trade Classifications (SITC, HS)Why are China’s re-imports so high?
© 2025 UN Comtrade Help Center • Built with GeneratePress