Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports)

Definition

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy residuals are the total merchandise exports by the reporting economy to the rest of the world as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database, less the sum of exports by the reporting economy to high-, low-, and middle-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. Includes trade with unspecified partners or with economies not covered by World Bank classification. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy.

Methodology for Trade & Finance indicators

Trade and finance indicators are sourced from customs declarations, balance-of-payments statistics, and central bank reporting. Exports and imports are usually reported FOB (free on board) for exports and CIF (cost, insurance, freight) for imports, which means global exports and global imports rarely sum to zero. Foreign direct investment data can be volatile year-over-year because of one-off cross-border acquisitions.

How to interpret

• Always check the unit and reporting year before comparing values across countries.
• NULL or "Not available" means the World Bank did not publish a value — we never estimate.
• Year-over-year changes can be driven by methodology updates, not just real economic shifts.