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Quantitative data on bilateral investment treaties and double taxation treaties

The framework of investment rules is partially laid out in a large number of bilateral investment treaties (BITs), free trade agreements with investment-related provisions, double taxation treaties (DTTs), regional trade agreements and multilateral agreements.

The number of BITs has grown steadily; they numbered 385 by 1989, and 2,265 in 2003, encompassing 176 countries. The number of double taxation treaties has reached 2,256 in 2002.

Figure 1: Number of BITs and DTTs concluded per year and cumulative 1990-2002

BITs and DTTs concluded per year and cumulative 1990-2002

(Source: UNCTAD, BITs and DTT databases)

Table 1: Number of BITS and DTTs concluded per year and cumulative 1990-2002

	Total per year: left scale		Cumulative total: right scale			Total per year to be divided by two
	BITs	DTTs	BITs	DTTs		BITs	DTTs
1990	61	50	446	1193	1990	122	100
1991	81	55	527	1248	1991	162	110
1992	124	62	651	1309	1992	248	124
1993	129	96	780	1405	1993	258	192
1994	191	107	971	1512	1994	382	214
1995	202	101	1173	1613	1995	404	202
1996	211	114	1384	1727	1996	422	228
1997	172	126	1556	1852	1997	344	252
1998	171	95	1727	1947	1998	342	190
1999	129	114	1857	2061	1999	258	228
2000	84	57	1941	2118	2000	168	114
2001	159	68	2099	2185	2001	318	136
2002	82	68	2181	2255	2002	164	136

(Source: UNCTAD, BITs and DTT databases)

Table 2: Share of BITS per country by region, as at 2002

Region	Number of BITs	Economy	Average BITs /Economy
Developed countries	1170	26	45
Developing countries	1745	150	12
Africa	533	53	10
Latin America and the Caribbean	413	40	10
Asia and the Pacific	1003	57	18
CEE	716	19	38

(Source: UNCTAD, BITs databases)

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