UNCTAD Statistics: Overview
UNCTAD releases statistics that are relevant for the analysis of international trade, foreign direct investment and commodities, and more explicitly for understanding the economic trends of developing countries over the past decades, particularly in the context of globalization.
UNCTAD offers online databases and produces statistical publications such as Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures, the Handbook of Statistics, the World Investment Directory, and the Handbook of World Mineral Trade Statistics; some publications include a CD-ROM version.
 UNCTAD launches global databank on world trade in creative products UNCTAD's new global database provides trade statistics on creative goods and services based on official data from more than 130 countries and covering the period 1996-2006.  UNCTAD secretariat publishes its UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics 200829 July - The UNCTAD secretariat on 29 July published the UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics 2008. The Handbook provides a broad range of statistics relevant to the analysis of international trade, investment and development, covering individual countries, regions and the world at large.  Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures 2008 22 April - With economic globalization challenging much of our traditional wisdom, this brief synopsis of data and information offers some explanations for new and emerging economic trends.  UNCTAD provides guidance on measuring the Information Economy15 January - New manual offers technical assistance for compiling ICT statistics. UNCTAD has released a Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Information Economy to serve as a reference for national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics on business use of information and communications technology (ICT). The manual provides a guide to data collection and analysis, international standards, and definitions. It also offers model questions for surveys on ICT use, and it reviews important institutional issues related to compiling ICT statistics. |
The statistics are based on existing national and international data sources. In addition, some of the series represent UNCTAD secretariat estimates. Data are presented in a consistent framework and wherever possible in an analytical way so as to facilitate their interpretation. Time series of basic data cover periods as long as available data permit.