 |
 |
21/94 |  |
Trading partners
The pattern of OECD merchandise trade – where imports come from and where exports go to – has undergone significant shifts over the last decade. These are in response to changes in the distribution of global income and to globalisation – in particular, the outsourcing of manufacturing from OECD countries to the rest of the world.
These tables refer to total OECD imports and exports and show merchandise trade both within the OECD area and with countries in the rest of the world.
Definition
NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Area and consists of Canada, Mexico and the United States. OECD Asia and Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand as well as Japan and Korea. Non-OECD America covers the Caribbean, South America and Central America, except Mexico. Middle East covers the Gulf Arabian Countries, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Syrian Arab Republic.
The definitions of merchandise imports and exports are explained under "Trade in goods”.
Comparability
OECD countries follow common definitions and procedures in compiling their merchandise trade statistics which are comparable and of good quality. The removal of customs frontiers following the creation of a common market in Europe required EU countries to adopt a system of recording trade flows through sample surveys of exporters and importers. This led to some fall in the reliability of merchandise trade statistics for trade between the EU countries. Statistics on trade between EU countries and non-EU countries, however, were not affected.
|
Long-term trends Since 1988, there has been a steady decline in the share of OECD imports and exports among OECD member countries. In 1988, imports from OECD countries accounted for 80% of total OECD imports but by 2005 this had fallen to 67%. For exports the fall in intra-OECD trade was less marked – down from 81% in 1988 to 75% in 2005. Outside the OECD area, the trade shares with Africa have fallen, they have risen with non-OECD America and the Middle East. Non-OECD Asia covers Central Asia, China, the Indian Sub‑continent and South East. OECD imports from these countries have risen from 7% to 17% over the period and exports to them from 7.5% to 12%. A large change occurred in trade between OECD and China. In 1988 China supplied a little over 1% of total OECD imports but by 2005 this had risen to more than 9%. China’s importance as a destination for OECD countries has increased less sharply, rising from 1% in 1988 to 4% in 2005. |
Source
- OECD (2006), International Trade by Commodity Statistics, OECD, Paris.
Further information
Analytical publications
- OECD, IOM and the World Bank (eds.) (2004), Trade and Migration: Building Bridges for Global Labour Mobility, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), Agriculture, Trade and the Environment: The Dairy Sector, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), The Impact of Regulations on Agro-Food Trade: The Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreements, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), Trade and Competitiveness in Argentina, Brazil and Chile Not as Easy as A-B-C, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), Internationalisation and Trade in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2005), OECD Trade Policy Studies – Environmental Requirements and Market Access, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2005), Trade and Structural Adjustment: Embracing Globalisation, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), Trade Based Money Laundering, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), The Development Dimension – Aid for Trade: Making it Effective, OECD, Paris.
Statistical publications
- OECD (2006), Monthly Statistics of International Trade, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), Statistics in International Trade in Services, OECD, Paris.
Methodological publications
- United Nations (1998), International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Compilers Manual, United Nations, New York.
Online databases
Websites
- OECD International Trade Statistics, www.oecd.org/std/its.
- OECD International Trade Indicators, www.oecd.org/statistics/trade.
Partner countries and regions of OECD merchandise trade
Partner countries and regions of OECD merchandise imports
Partner countries and regions of OECD merchandise exports
|
21/94 | |