How do you access UN Comtrade data?

UN Comtrade is labeled “Registration required” on this guide. Open the access portal or documentation links on the record for the current host process—do not assume open download if registration or a DUA is required.

← Back to solar map

Comtrade · UN Comtrade

UN Comtrade (Comtrade Plus) — India Merchandise Trade

Name: UN Comtrade (Comtrade Plus) — India Merchandise Trade
Creator: United Nations

UN Comtrade is used to study international merchandise trade flows by partner and product.

Registration requiredVery largeGood starting dataset

trade macroeconomy international

Host / institution

UN Statistics Division · United Nations

Geography

India as reporter/partner, bilateral, HS product

Time coverage

From 1962 (annual); monthly for recent decades

Update frequency

Monthly / annual (as reporters revise)

What this is best for

Gold-standard HS-level bilateral merchandise trade with India as reporter or partner

Main limitations

Reporter–partner asymmetries; free API/download quotas; services trade is thinner than goods

Quick answers

Short research-facing answers derived from this catalog record.

What is UN Comtrade used for?: Gold-standard HS-level bilateral merchandise trade with India as reporter or partner
How do you access UN Comtrade data?: UN Comtrade is labeled “Registration required” on this guide. Open the access portal or documentation links on the record for the current host process—do not assume open download if registration or a DUA is required.
What geography and time does UN Comtrade cover?: Geography: India as reporter/partner, bilateral, HS product. Time coverage: From 1962 (annual); monthly for recent decades.
What are the main limitations of UN Comtrade?: Reporter–partner asymmetries; free API/download quotas; services trade is thinner than goods

Background & previous rounds

UN Comtrade aggregates official customs statistics from ~200 economies (99%+ of world merchandise trade). India appears as both reporter and partner. Use Comtrade Plus for modern UI/API; historical annual series go back to the 1960s. Prefer HS revision consistent with your period; always check data availability flags for India years.

Guides for using this data

Official portals, user guides, codebooks, and tutorials for access and analysis.

3 links

Variables5

Representative fields from UN Statistics Division materials (confirm full dictionary on the official portal). Representative fields for the page table — verify the full dictionary on the official site.

Open official dictionary

Name / code	Description	Group
reporter/partner	Reporter/partner	Representative fields
HS commodity code	HS commodity code	Representative fields
trade flow (import/export)	Trade flow (import/export)	Representative fields
value (USD)	Value (USD)	Representative fields
quantity / net weight	Quantity / net weight	Representative fields

Formats

bulk download · API · CSV

Technical tags

bilateral tradeHS codesopen portal

Example uses

India’s product–partner export baskets, China–India trade balances, HS-level gravity work

Research and articles using this data

Verified examples that analyze, reuse, introduce, or visualize this dataset. Search matches without evidence are not published here.

3 verified sources

Scholarly works3

Journal articleAnalyzes data
Disclaimer, UN comtrade subscription information, contact
2013
Analyzes UN Comtrade data in the context of: "Disclaimer, UN comtrade subscription information, contact".
Journal articleAnalyzes data
Direct exports of used textiles according to UN Comtrade data
2016
Analyzes UN Comtrade data in the context of: "Direct exports of used textiles according to UN Comtrade data".
ReportAnalyzes data
Preparing the UN Comtrade data for use
The Trade-and-Transport Dataset · 2025
Analyzes UN Comtrade data in the context of: "Preparing the UN Comtrade data for use".

Scholarly checked:: 10 Sept 2026
Web checked:: Not checked yet

Open access portal Documentation

Pairs well with

Many Indian data problems need survey + administrative combinations.