SITC Trade Data: Bilateral Flows from 1962

1962 onward, this dataset provides bilateral trade flows for approximately 700 goods classified under the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) Revision 2. Data originates from UN COMTRADE and is cleaned using the Bustos-Yildirim method to account for inconsistent reporting. Categories are available at 1-, 2-, and 4-digit detail levels, offering a long time-series for historical economic analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in bilateral trade relationships based on the time-series starting in 1962.
• Studying product-level specialization and economic complexity using the approximately 700 goods categories.
• Modeling trade network dynamics with cleaned bilateral flow data from the Bustos-Yildirim method.
• Comparing trade structures across different aggregation levels (1-, 2-, 4-digit SITC codes).

Strengths

• Long time-series coverage starting from 1962.
• Data is cleaned for reporting inconsistencies using a documented method (Bustos-Yildirim).
• Provides product-level detail for approximately 700 goods.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• Covers fewer goods than Harmonized System (HS) classifications, as noted in the description.
• Metadata on license is conflicting between sources (Open Access vs. None).

Provenance

Source

United Nations Statistical Division (COMTRADE), cleaned by The Growth Lab at Harvard University.

Collection Method

Raw trade data cleaned using the Bustos-Yildirim method on bilateral flows.

Time Range

1962 onward

Freshness

2026-04-22 16:47:21

Geography

International (bilateral country pairs)