The Source of UNCTAD International Trade & Market Indicators
The primary authority for UNCTAD’s data is UNCTADstat, a centralized data hub designed to ensure the international comparability of trade and development statistics. The indicators are sourced through a multi-layered process that combines official national data with global monitoring systems. For merchandise trade, UNCTAD pulls raw data from the UN Comtrade database, which is then refined and adjusted for consistency. For services trade, it collaborates closely with the WTO and the IMF to harmonize balance-of-payments statistics. Beyond simple trade values, UNCTAD creates specialized "derived indicators"—such as the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index and Productive Capacities Index (PCI)—by applying proprietary methodologies to primary data from port authorities, private shipping databases, and national customs offices. This rigorous synthesis provides a "development-centered" view of the global economy, making its statistics the global benchmark for analyzing the structural transformation of nations.
A Framework for Research and Education
The Integrated 180 UNCTAD International Trade & Market Indicators framework is compiled as an open-source resource specifically tailored for the global research and education community. By providing free access to high-fidelity data—ranging from traditional trade matrices to modern digital economy readiness scores—it empowers students, academics, and policy analysts to conduct independent, evidence-based research. This open-access philosophy ensures that the tools required to understand and navigate the complexities of global trade are not restricted by geography or institutional wealth, fostering a more equitable global intellectual landscape.
Conducting Global Social Responsibility
Beyond its academic utility, this framework serves as a vital tool for conducting global social responsibility. In an era where trade is increasingly linked to environmental and social outcomes, these indicators provide the transparency needed to hold global actors accountable. By tracking metrics such as Carbon Intensity of Exports (#75), Illicit Financial Flows (#175), and the Gender Equality in Trade Index (#93), the framework enables a "Beyond GDP" evaluation of progress. It encourages transnational corporations and governments to align their commercial strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that international trade acts as a genuine engine for inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and ethical resource management.
UNCTAD International Trade & Market Indicators
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 1 | Trade Values | Merchandise Export Value |
| 2 | Merchandise Import Value | |
| 3 | Services Export Value | |
| 4 | Services Import Value | |
| 5 | Merchandise Trade Balance | |
| 6 | Services Trade Balance | |
| 7 | Total Trade-to-GDP Ratio | |
| 8 | Trade Dynamics | Merchandise Export Growth Rate (Value) |
| 9 | Merchandise Import Growth Rate (Value) | |
| 10 | Services Export Growth Rate (Value) | |
| 11 | Services Import Growth Rate (Value) | |
| 12 | Merchandise Trade Volume Index | |
| 13 | Terms of Trade Index | |
| 14 | Market Share | Share in World Merchandise Exports |
| 15 | Share in World Merchandise Imports | |
| 16 | Share in World Services Exports | |
| 17 | Share in World Services Imports | |
| 18 | Concentration & Diversity | Export Product Concentration Index (HHI) |
| 19 | Import Product Concentration Index | |
| 20 | Export Market Concentration Index | |
| 21 | Import Market Concentration Index | |
| 22 | Number of Products Exported | |
| 23 | Number of Export Partner Markets | |
| 24 | Trade Structure | Share of Primary Commodities in Total Exports |
| 25 | Share of Manufactured Goods in Total Exports | |
| 26 | Share of High-Technology Products in Exports | |
| 27 | ICT Goods Share of Total Trade | |
| 28 | Creative Goods Trade Value | |
| 29 | Maritime & Connectivity | Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) |
| 30 | Liner Shipping Bilateral Connectivity Index (LSBCI) | |
| 31 | Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) | |
| 32 | Container Port Throughput (TEUs) | |
| 33 | Market Access & Policy | Average Applied Tariff Rate (Weighted) |
| 34 | Maximum Applied Tariff (Tariff Peaks) | |
| 35 | Number of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) in Force | |
| 36 | Performance & Readiness | Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index |
| 37 | Export Propensity Index |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 38 | Economic Openness | Export Propensity Index |
| 39 | Import Penetration Index | |
| 40 | Investment (FDI) | Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inward Flows |
| 41 | Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Outward Flows | |
| 42 | FDI Inward Stock as % of GDP | |
| 43 | FDI Outward Stock as % of GDP | |
| 44 | Greenfield FDI Projects (Number & Value) | |
| 45 | Cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions (M&As) | |
| 46 | Digital Economy | E-commerce Readiness Index |
| 47 | Share of ICT Services in Total Services Trade | |
| 48 | Technology and Innovation Index Ranking | |
| 49 | Fixed Broadband Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants | |
| 50 | Productive Capacity | Productive Capacities Index (PCI) Score |
| 51 | Energy Capacity and Efficiency Index | |
| 52 | Human Capital Index (UNCTAD specific) | |
| 53 | Institutional Quality Score | |
| 54 | Finance & Debt | External Debt as % of GNI |
| 55 | Debt Service as % of Exports | |
| 56 | Personal Remittances (Receipts) | |
| 57 | Environment & Trade | Ocean-based Goods Trade Value (Blue Economy) |
| 58 | Biodiversity-based Product Trade (BioTrade) | |
| 59 | CO2 Emissions per Unit of Value Added | |
| 60 | Population | Total and Urban Population Growth Rates |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 61 | Debt & Solvency | External Debt Stock (Total and as % of GNI) |
| 62 | Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) Debt | |
| 63 | Debt Service-to-Export Ratio | |
| 64 | Short-term Debt as % of Total External Debt | |
| 65 | Concessional Debt Share of Total External Debt | |
| 66 | SDG Indicators | Indicator 16.4.1: Total Value of Illicit Financial Flows |
| 67 | Indicator 12.6.1: Number of Companies Publishing Sustainability Reports | |
| 68 | Indicator 17.3.1: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows | |
| 69 | Indicator 17.11.1: Developing Countries' Share of Global Exports | |
| 70 | Indicator 10.a.1: Duty-free Tariff Lines for Developing Countries | |
| 71 | Blue Economy | Ocean-based Goods Export Value |
| 72 | Ocean-based Services Export Value | |
| 73 | Ocean Trade Concentration Index | |
| 74 | Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) in Ocean Goods | |
| 75 | Environment | Carbon Intensity of Merchandise Exports |
| 76 | Trade in Environmentally Sensitive Goods | |
| 77 | Biodiversity-based Product Trade (BioTrade) Value | |
| 78 | Non-plastic Substitute Trade Volume | |
| 79 | Trade in Plastic-based Products (Value) | |
| 80 | Digital Economy | Share of ICT Services in Total Services Trade |
| 81 | International Trade in Digitally Deliverable Services | |
| 82 | ICT Goods Share of Total Trade | |
| 83 | E-commerce Readiness Index Score | |
| 84 | Connectivity | Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) |
| 85 | Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) | |
| 86 | Container Port Throughput (TEUs) | |
| 87 | Productive Capacity | PCI: Natural Capital Index |
| 88 | PCI: Human Capital Index | |
| 89 | PCI: Institutional Quality Index | |
| 90 | PCI: ICT Connectivity Index |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 91 | Global Value Chains | GVC Participation Rate (Backward and Forward Linkages) |
| 92 | Domestic Value Added (DVA) in Gross Exports | |
| 93 | Foreign Value Added (FVA) in Gross Exports | |
| 94 | GVC Intensity (Ratio of GVC trade to total trade) | |
| 95 | Logistics & Infrastructure | Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) |
| 96 | Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) | |
| 97 | Container Port Throughput (TEUs) | |
| 98 | Official Support | Aid for Trade (Commitments and Disbursements) |
| 99 | Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Infrastructure | |
| 100 | Future Readiness | Frontier Technology Adoption Readiness Score |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 101 | Inclusive Growth | Inclusive Growth Index (IGI) (Composite score) |
| 102 | Gender Equality in Trade Policy (Scorecard) | |
| 103 | Share of Youth Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET) | |
| 104 | Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient in Trade Context) | |
| 105 | Food Security | Indicator 2.c.1: Indicator of Food Price Anomalies |
| 106 | Agricultural Export Subsidies (Value) | |
| 107 | Net Trade in Food Products (Value) | |
| 108 | Food Import Bill as % of Total Merchandise Imports | |
| 109 | Sustainable Finance | SDG 17.3.1: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows |
| 110 | Total Resource Flows for Development | |
| 111 | Sovereign Wealth Fund Sustainability Ranking | |
| 112 | Pension Fund Integration of ESG Standards | |
| 113 | Industrial Structure | Structural Change Index (Measures shift from agriculture to industry) |
| 114 | Medium and High-tech Industry Value Added Share | |
| 115 | Manufacturing Employment Share of Total Employment | |
| 116 | Demographics | Child Dependency Ratio (Children per 100 working-age) |
| 117 | Old-age Dependency Ratio (Elderly per 100 working-age) | |
| 118 | Total Dependency Ratio (Combined) | |
| 119 | Urbanization Rate (Share of population in cities) | |
| 120 | Transport & Logistics | Indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and Freight Volumes by Mode |
| 121 | Port Call and Performance Statistics (Average time in port) | |
| 122 | Average Age of the World Merchant Fleet | |
| 123 | Ship Scrapping and Building Volumes (Tonnage) | |
| 124 | Digital Economy | Indicator 17.6.2: Fixed Internet Subscriptions per 100 people |
| 125 | Proportion of Individuals Using the Internet | |
| 126 | International Trade in Creative Services (Estimates) | |
| 127 | Market Concentration of Creative Goods Trade | |
| 128 | Environment | Indicator 14.4.1: Proportion of Fish Stocks in Sustainable Levels |
| 129 | Forest Area as a Proportion of Total Land Area | |
| 130 | Natural Disaster Economic Loss as % of GDP |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 131 | Energy Transition | Trade in Critical Minerals (Lithium, Cobalt, Copper, etc.) |
| 132 | Market Concentration of Critical Mineral Supply Chains | |
| 133 | Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) in Green Technologies | |
| 134 | Tourism | Tourism Direct GDP as a share of total GDP |
| 135 | Sustainable Tourism Benchmarking Tool (STBT) Score | |
| 136 | Tourism Services Export Value and Growth | |
| 137 | Illicit Finance | Indicator 16.4.1: Measured Inward Illicit Financial Flows |
| 138 | Measured Outward Illicit Financial Flows | |
| 139 | Business Dynamics | New Business Density (New registrations per 1,000 people) |
| 140 | Female Ownership/Management in International Trade | |
| 141 | Global Finance | Financialization of Commodities Index (Speculative trading levels) |
| 142 | Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment in Developing Regions | |
| 143 | Currency Composition of Export Invoicing (Dollar vs. Local) | |
| 144 | South-South Trade | South-South Trade Value (Trade between developing nations) |
| 145 | South-South FDI Flows (Investment between developing nations) | |
| 146 | Supply Chain Resilience | Friendshoring Index (Trade with geopolitically aligned partners) |
| 147 | Concentration of Import Sources for Strategic Goods | |
| 148 | Innovation | AI Readiness Index for Developing Economies |
| 149 | Patent Applications in Environmental Technologies | |
| 150 | Future Well-being | Multidimensional Progress Indicator (Beyond GDP metric) |
| # | Category | Indicator Name |
| 151 | Energy Transition | Trade in Energy Transition Minerals (Lithium, Cobalt, Graphite) |
| 152 | Value Added in Mineral Processing (Domestic vs. Exported) | |
| 153 | Renewable Energy Technology Export Share | |
| 154 | Supply Chain Security | Geographic Concentration of Imports (Strategic Dependency) |
| 155 | Trade Integration Index (Regional vs. Global) | |
| 156 | Intermediate Goods Trade as % of Total Trade | |
| 157 | Digital Inclusivity | Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index |
| 158 | Gender Gap in Digital Skills for E-commerce | |
| 159 | Number of Secure Internet Servers per 1 Million People | |
| 160 | Corporate Governance | Indicator 12.6.1: Number of Companies Publishing Sustainability Reports |
| 161 | Female Representation on Boards of Top Exporters | |
| 162 | ESG Integration in National Investment Frameworks | |
| 163 | Maritime Efficiency | Average Time Spent in Port (By vessel type) |
| 164 | Ship Calls and Port Performance Statistics | |
| 165 | Connectivity to Hinterland (Rail/Road Port Linkages) | |
| 166 | Commodity Markets | UNCTAD Commodity Price Index (UCPI) |
| 167 | Volatility Index for Food and Fuel Prices | |
| 168 | Commodity Dependence as % of Export Revenue | |
| 169 | Social Progress | Inclusive Growth Index (IGI) Score |
| 170 | Impact of Trade on National Poverty Reduction (Modelled) | |
| 171 | Gini Coefficient of Wealth (Post-Trade Liberalization) | |
| 172 | Science & Tech | Indicator 9.5.1: R&D Expenditure as a % of GDP |
| 173 | Indicator 9.5.2: Researchers per Million Inhabitants | |
| 174 | High-Tech Manufacturing Value Added (MVA) Share | |
| 175 | Illicit Finance | Indicator 16.4.1: Value of Outward Illicit Financial Flows |
| 176 | Mis-invoicing Detection Rate in Customs | |
| 177 | Green Logistics | Carbon Intensity of Maritime Transport |
| 178 | Adoption of Green Hydrogen in Shipping Fleets | |
| 179 | Global Governance | South-South Cooperation Index (Financing and Trade) |
| 180 | Resilience | Macroeconomic Resilience Score (Ability to absorb shocks) |
A Vision for Resilient and Inclusive Global Trade
As the global economy moves into 2026, the Integrated 180 UNCTAD Indicators framework stands as a critical roadmap for navigating a landscape defined by "uncertainty as the new tariff." By shifting the focus from simple export volumes to the quality of growth—measured through Productive Capacities (#50), Blue Economy resilience (#70), and Global Value Chain equity (#91)—this framework provides the data necessary to rebuild predictability in a fragmented world. It serves as a call to action for policymakers, researchers, and global citizens to use trade not merely as a transaction of goods, but as a deliberate strategy for poverty reduction, climate justice, and shared prosperity. In the spirit of the 2026 UN Global Supply Chain Forum and the 9th World Investment Forum, these indicators remind us that the ultimate metric of success is a trading system that serves both the people and the planet.