Frequently Asked Questions

The OEC (Observatory of Economic Complexity) is an online platform developed by Datawheel that specializes in making world trade data understandable through data visualization. The OEC provides accessible data on global trade and economic complexity. Users can explore trade flows between countries, access subnational data, and examine U.S. company-level data through bill of lading records.

The OEC is powered by three different types of data. Our historical data, which is international trade data at the country level, comes from the BACI dataset from CEPII. The BACI dataset compiles bilateral trade flows for 200 countries and 5,000 products starting from data available at the UN's COMTRADE. BACI symmetrizes trade flows in an attempt to reconcile export and import data and estimate trade flows that have not been reported, or have been misreported. This can sometimes introduce artifacts in small trade flows. Our more recent data comes from pipelines we have built at the OEC to gather data directly from the statistical offices, open data portals, or custom union websites of 30+ countries (Check our data availability). This data comes in many different shapes and forms depending on the source. For instance, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, report data at the port level, whereas countries like Spain and France report data at two subnational levels (respectively, autonomous communities and regions, and provinces and departments). These data sources can also differ on the way they classify products. Most sources use some version of the Harmonized System, but some sources, like France, Italy, and Germany, use their own trade classification (respectively CPF, ATECO, and EGW). Our company level data comes from bill of lading records. These are documents that act as receipts for shipped goods and serve as legally binding contracts between the shipper, the carrier, and the recipient. They provide detailed information about individual shipments, including the names of the exporter and importer, the type and quantity of goods, the point of origin and destination, and the transport method used. To enhance the usability of this data, the OEC has developed a sophisticated process to standardize and reconcile variations in how companies are named across these datasets. Companies often use different names or legal entities when engaging in trade—such as subsidiaries, alternative spellings, or trade-specific aliases. Our process treats and harmonizes these discrepancies, enabling users to view a more comprehensive and unified profile of a company's total trade activity. This provides deeper insights into supply chains, market dynamics, and global trade trends at the company level.

Yes, data downloads are available based on your subscription level:

• Free users: Can download data from profile pages (BACI and economic complexity data).
• Pro users: Have access to additional datasets from tools like Data Explorer and Trend Explorer.
• Premium users: Can download bulk trade data, access company-level data, and use API integration.

Data is available in formats such as CSV, Excel, and JSON.

Mirror data allows estimating trade flows for countries that don't report data directly. For example, if Senegal doesn't report export data, you can still see Senegal's export to the United States in a dataset for US imports.

The most detailed trade data at the OEC includes trade with the United States. This includes firm level data for importers and exporters, based in the United States, and exporters and importers in other countries that trade with the United States (e.g. an exporter of electronic equipment to the United States based in Vietnam). Some countries, like China, Spain, Germany, and France, also provide subnational data (e.g., provinces or regions), enabling deeper analysis. The level of detail varies depending on each government's data availability.

Subnational data is available for select countries (e.g., Brazil, China, Japan, and the U.S.). Pro users can access this through subnational profiles and tools like Trade Explorer and Data Explorer. Premium users can also download subnational data in bulk.

You can cancel anytime with a single click in your account settings. Cancel before your next billing cycle to avoid future charges.

Yes, we offer a 50% discount for academic institutions and researchers. You can apply during the subscription process.

Yes:

• Free users: Can download data from visualizations on profile pages.
• Pro users: Can download up to 1 million rows via Data Explorer in single queries.
• Premium users: Bulk data downloads and firm-level data through Company Explorer.

To search for specific products, use the search bar to enter either the HS code (e.g., 851713 for smartphones) or the product description. By visiting our product classifications navigation page, you can also explore products through various classification systems, including HS, CPF, EGW, and SITC. For company-specific data, the Company Explorer (available with a Premium Subscription) provides detailed insights. This allows you to explore trade information for specific companies and industries with ease.

Pro and Premium subscribers can use the API for data extraction. You'll receive an API key and request URL to automate data retrieval. For detailed instructions, visit our API documentation or check our Python Notebooks.

Yes, the OEC offers different HS code revisions and trade data from 1995 to the present. These include:

• HS6 REV. 1992 (1995 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 1996 (1998 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 2002 (2003 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 2007 (2008 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 2012 (2012 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 2017 (2018 - 2022)
• HS6 REV. 2022 (2022)
• Trade Unit Values HS6 REV. 1996 (2000 - 2019)
• Trade Unit Values HS6 REV. 2002 (2000 - 2019)
• Trade Unit Values HS6 REV. 2007 (2000 - 2019)

The OEC uses mirror data to fill in gaps by referencing trade flows from partner countries. This provides a partial view of trade flows, especially for countries with strong trade relationships.

Yes, the Bill of Lading data tracks shipments transported by sea.

Contact our support team at support@oec.world. We're here to assist with any issues or questions.

No, we don't provide direct price data. Our trade data includes trade values and quantities, which vary based on factors like product type, quality, and packaging. However, these values don't always directly reflect individual unit prices, as variations like product type, quality, or packaging can affect value calculations.

Yes, the trade data available on the OEC is in nominal value. This means the values are not adjusted for inflation and represent the actual transaction amounts at the time of reporting.

Please refer to the original 2011 paper describing the creation of the OEC: A.J.G. Simoes, C.A. Hidalgo. The Economic Complexity Observatory: An Analytical Tool for Understanding the Dynamics of Economic Development. Workshops at the Twenty-Fifth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (2011). Visualizations on the OEC can be used under a Creative Commons - CC0 public domain license. For more information, visit our about page.