Bilateral Trade in Services: Insights from A New Research Dataset
IMF Working Papers, August 15, 2025
Source details
- Canonical URL
- Bilateral Trade in Services: Insights from A New Research Dataset
Other formats
Bibliographic details
- Authors: Nan Li, Sergii Meleshchuk, Qiuyan Yin, Dennis Zhao, Robert Zymek
- Published: August 15, 2025
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229023030.001
Dataset description
- Introduces the Bilateral Trade in Services (BiTS) research dataset.
- BiTS draws primarily on the non-estimated trade values from the OECD-WTO Balanced Trade in Services (BaTIS) database, which serves as the cornerstone of the work.
- Harmonizes BaTIS data with information from the UNCTAD-WTO Trade in Services Database, UN Comtrade, Eurostat, and other official sources under a consistent BPM6 classification standard.
Coverage and classification
- Time period covered: 1985-2023.
- Service categories:
- 12 major services categories covered.
- 9 of the 12 major categories are further disaggregated into 26 distinct subcategories.
- Harmonization: All categories and subcategories are harmonized under a consistent BPM6 classification standard for the period 1985-2023.
Methodology and sources
- Primary data source: non-estimated trade values from OECD-WTO BaTIS.
- Supplementary sources: UNCTAD-WTO Trade in Services Database, UN Comtrade, Eurostat, and other official sources.
- Objective: Enable analysis of bilateral services trade patterns over an extended time period by creating a consistent, harmonized research dataset.
Key findings and applications
- Application 1 — Gravity forces and trade composition:
- "Gravity forces" have become less powerful in explaining services trade patterns over time.
- Decline in explanatory power is attributed to a shift in the composition of trade toward less distance-sensitive services.
- Application 2 — Geopolitical fissures and services resilience:
- Overall services trade remains resilient to growing geopolitical fissures.
- Modern services appear more sensitive to geopolitical alignment than traditional services.
Key statistics and publication metadata (as stated in source)
- Pages: 39
- Volume: 2025
- Issue: 163
- Series: Working Paper No. 2025/163
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229023030.001
- ISBN: 9798229023030
Source: IMF Working Paper “Bilateral Trade in Services: Insights from A New Research Dataset” by Nan Li, Sergii Meleshchuk, Qiuyan Yin, Dennis Zhao, and Robert Zymek, August 15, 2025.
Content in this bundle
- Working Paper