Import data are generally of higher quality than the export data. Initially-declared destinations for exports are not always reliable, because the location for which a given cargo is headed may change in response to market conditions. Comparison of the figures for global imports with those for global exports shows substantial imbalances, with export figures apparently overstated. Losses in transit explain a portion of the gap, as does the definition of ‘exports’ used by some countries: shipments not destined for inland consumption within the country’s sovereign territory, such as jet fuel loaded on a plane headed for another country, bunker fuel loaded on an international tanker, and deliveries to another country’s embassy or military base.
Trade figures of a given country sometimes show discrepancies with data reported by trading partners, even those in close proximity such as the US and Canada sharing common borders. For this reason, the net trade positions published in the report for each OECD region are calculated based on figures for extra-regional trade only.

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