International trade in services - historical data (1985-2003)
methods, notes and classification
DATA_DESCR The Balance of Payments (BoP) systematically summarizes all economic transactions between the residents and the non-residents of a country or of a áeconomic area during a given period. The Balance of payments provides harmonized information on international transactions which are part of the current account (goods, services, income, current transfers), but also on transactions which fall in the capital and the financial account. BoP is an important macro-economic indicator used to assess the position of an economy (of credit or debit) towards the external world. Data on International Trade in Services (ITS), a component of BoP current account, are used, alongside with data on Foreign Direct Investment, to monitor the external commercial performance of different economies. Out of BoP data, some indicators of EU market integrationáare also derived. Data are in millions of Euro/ECU. Several statistical adjustments are applied to the original data provided by the Member States. These are described in the International Trade in Services EU 1992-2001 - Compilation guide. The International Monetary Fund Balance of Payments Manual (BPM5) classification is used for the compilation of the BoP. The BoP data are collected through national surveys and administrative sources.
CLASS_SYSTEM The methodological framework followed in the compilation of the Balance of Payments is that defined in the fifth edition of the International Monetary Fund Balance of Payments Manual (BPM5) published in 1993 and Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services. Balance of Payments Manual fourth edition (BPM4), published in 1977, was the reference for the data produced by Countries and published by Eurostat till 1991. All the historical data originally supplied by Member States under BPM4 reference and classification have been converted by Eurostat to BPM5 classification. A correspondence table between the classification BMP4 and the classification BPM5 is available. BPM5 is currently under revision and a new version of the manual (BPM6)áis released in 2009. Data will be be compiled according to the manual as from 2014.á
STAT_CONC_DEF The balance of payments (BoP) is a statistical statement that systematically summarises, over a given period of time, all the transactions of an economy with the rest of the world. The balance of payments records all economic transactions undertaken between the residents and non-residents of a country during a given period. A transaction is defined in the BPM5 as an economic flow that reflects the creation, transformation, exchange, transfer, or extinction of economic value and involves changes in ownership of goods and/or financial assets, the provision of services, or the provision of labour and capital. The concept of resident in the BPM5 is identical to that used in the 1993 System of National Accounts (SNA). The concept is not based on nationality or legal criteria. It is based on the notion of a centre of economic interest. An institutional unit is a resident unit when it has a centre of economic interest in the economic territory of a country for a period of at least one year. The balance of payments provides information on the total value of credits (or exports) and debits (or imports) for each BoP item and on the net result or "balance" (credits minus debits) of the transactions with each partner. á The balance of payments is broken down into three broad sub-balances: the current account, the capital account and the financial account. The Current account shows the flows of goods, services, income and current transfers between resident and non-resident units Services are the second major category of the current account. In the production of data on International Trade in Services the references are the IMF's BPM5 and the United Nations' Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services. The main breakdown of services includes three sub-items: transportation, travel, and other services. Transportation (BoP item 205) covers services provided by all modes of transportation -sea, air, and other, which includes space, rail, road, inland waterway and pipeline - that are performed by residents of one economy for those of another. The different types of services offered include transport of passengers, transport of freight and other supporting and auxiliary services (e.g., storage and warehousing). The debit side of the item Travel (BoP item 236) consists of goods and services which are acquired by residents who stay abroad for less than one year. The credit side includes purchases of the same type made by foreign travellers on the national territory. This item contains two main categories of travel: business travel and personal travel (leisure, study, health-related purposes, etc.). Note that international transportation costs of the traveler to destination are recorded under the heading "transportation", but all movements within the country, including cruises, are entered under "travel". Other services (BoP item 981) comprise those international services transactions not covered under transportation and travel (communication services, construction services, insurance services, financial services, computer and information services, royalties and license fees, other business services, personal, cultural and recreational services, and government services n.i.e.). Further details on the classification of Services used in BoP are available on the attached file.
STAT_UNIT Any individual, corporation or other institution that provides information on the transactions between the residents and non-residents of a country during a given period.
STAT_POP BoP statistical population includes all the economic transactions between residents and non residents.á The coverage of the statistical population assured by the reported transactions can be very different for different BoP items. Information on the transaction can be provided by individuals, corporations, or institutions.á
REF_AREA The data generally cover the European Union, Euro area, EU Member States, Croatia, Turkey, Norway, Iceland, áSwitzerland, the USA and Japan. However, each monthly, quarterly and annual table with Balance of payments data has a specific geographical coverage. áDetails are summarised in the annex.
BASE_PER Not applicable.
UNIT_MEASURE Data are in millions of Euro/ECU.
Methods 
Explanatory Notes 
Variables