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?
  • Annual totals vs sum of monthly data
  • 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?
  • How should I interpret and use quantity data in UN Comtrade?
  • 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

  • Seaborne Trade Estimates – Archive
  • 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
  • Monetary and 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
  • Country nomenclature and groupings

Country nomenclature and groupings

6 min read

Country nomenclature: The naming of countries (or areas) follows in general the United Nations Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use.[1] The names and composition of countries as reporters are changing over time. Also, countries rarely follow identical nomenclature in the recording of partner information. For example, when former geographical entities commonly referred to in national statistics have changed, countries may introduce the corresponding changes in their statistics at different times. In this publication, wherever possible, areas of the world have been designated the names they currently bear.

It should be noted that:

  • Statistics published for China exclude those for Taiwan Province of China. Data representing the trade with Taiwan Province, which any reporting country or area may have reported, are included in the grouping Asia, nes.  For statistical purposes, statistics for China also do not include those for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region.
  • Russian data provided by the Russian Federation. Includes statistical data for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.
  • The Government of Ukraine has informed the United Nations that it is not in a position to provide statistical data concerning the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
  • On 3 June 2006, Serbia and Montenegro formally dissolved into two independent countries: Montenegro and Serbia.
  • On 10 October 2010, the federation of the Netherlands Antilles was formally dissolved. The former Dutch Caribbean dependency ceased to exist with a change in the five islands’ constitutional status. Under the new political structure, Curaçao and Sint Maarten (Dutch part) have become autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, joining Aruba, which gained the status in 1986. The islands of the remaining territorial grouping, alternately known as Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba or the BES islands, are special municipalities and part of the country of the Netherlands and overseas territories of the European Union. For statistical purposes, the data for the Netherlands do not include the BES islands. Statistics referring to Netherlands Antilles (as a partner) prior to 2011 refer to the former territory, which included Curaçao, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba.
  • On 9 July 2011, Sudan formally dissolved into two independent countries: Sudan and South Sudan.  Statistics provided for Sudan prior to 1 January 2012 refer to the former Sudan (including South Sudan). Statistics referring to Sudan (as a partner) for 2012 are attributed to Sudan, excluding South Sudan.
  • From January 2013 onwards, Saint Barthélemy is no longer part of the customs territory of France. Therefore, it is recognized as a separate statistical area both as a reporter and partner. Whereas from January 2014 onwards, Mayotte became part of the statistical area of France, and it is no longer shown as a reporter or a partner.
  • In 2016, Czechia was adopted as the short country name for the Czech Republic.
  • In 2018, the Kingdom of Swaziland was renamed the Kingdom of Eswatini.
  • On 14 February 2019, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was renamed as Republic of North Macedonia.
  • In 2022, Turkey was renamed as Türkiye.
  • On 29 January 2025, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger withdrew from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Aggregations are calculated as the sum of country or area components.

Regional groupings: The composition of regional country groupings used for monitoring and evaluation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). [2]

Additional country groupings: The composition of additional country groupings according to trade or economic integration agreements[3]:

APTA – Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement    

Bangladesh, China, India, Korea (Republic of), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka

ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam

CACM – Central American Common Market

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua

CARICOM – Caribbean Community and Common Market

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti (member of the Community only), Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago

CEFTA – Central European Free Trade Agreement              

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia and Serbia

CEMAC – Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa

Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon

CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States       

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan     

EAC – East African Community   

Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania

ECOWAS – Economic Community of West African States

Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo

EU – European Union

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden

GCC – The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf              

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

LAIA – Latin American Integration Association

Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

LAS – League of Arab States        

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen

MERCOSUR – Mercado Comun Sud-Americano                                              

Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

* the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is suspended while the Plurinational State of Bolivia is in the process of accession

USMCA – NAFUS-Mexico-Canada Agreement

Canada, Mexico and United States of America, including Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

SADC – Southern African Development Community         

Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe


[1]  Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use, Series M No. 49, Rev.4, (United Nations publication, Sales No. M.98.XVII.9). The latest information is available online at: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/.

[2] For the composition of the regions, see https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/regional-groups.

[3] Note that a few countries belong to multiple trade or economic integration agreements.

Share This Article :
  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
Seaborne Trade Estimates – ArchiveHistorical Data 1900-1960 on IMTS
© 2025 UN Comtrade Help Center • Built with GeneratePress