Principal Indicators for Business and Trade Statistics

The list of principal indicators for business and trade statistics was prepared by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics (UNCEBTS) and in particular the task team on business dynamics, demography and entrepreneurship; the task team on globalization and digitalization; and the task team on well-being and sustainability.

The principal indicators are presented as a reference list that can guide the development of business and trade statistics programmes in countries for informing on the following priority areas and in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: business demography, business dynamics, and entrepreneurship; globalization and digitalization; and well-being and sustainability.

The indicators were designed to meet users ' needs in terms of better quality and increased data granularity for current statistics on business and trade statistics, and focused on business statistics and selected trade-related indicators. It will be complemented at a later stage with a second list that focuses on trade indicators and elaborates on the integration of business and trade statistics.

This manual presents a strategic view on business and trade statistics and the list of principal indicators on business and trade statistics. It reflects the work undertaken by the task teams of the UNCEBTS since its establishment in 2018.

In 2018, the UNCEBTS identified five work streams in business and trade statistics to enhance the relevance, accuracy and coverage of business statistics. These work streams include: Business Dynamics, Demography and Entrepreneurship; Globalization and Digitalization; Well-being and Sustainability; Exhaustive Business Registers and Capacity Building for statistical business registers (SBRs).In 2021, the UNCEBTS proposed a work plan that included preparing a manual on the core set of principal business and trade indicators and a manual on the maturity model for statistical business registers, which was endorsed by the Statistical Commission in its 52nd session. The UNCEBTS prepared and submitted the draft first volume of the Manual on the principal indicators on business and trade statistics to the Statistical Commission in March 2022. At its 53rd session, the Statistical Commission took note of the draft first volume of the Manual and encouraged the preparation of volume 2 of the Manual to further elaborate on the international trade indicators.

The current manual focuses on business statistics and selected trade-related indicators. It will be complemented at a later stage with a second volume focusing on trade indicators and elaborating on the integration of business and trade statistics as the work of the task team on international trade statistics progress.

Manual on Principal Indicators for Business and Trade Statistics, Volume 1, White cover publication