Development of International Investment Position Statistics
August 13, 2002

Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)


Development of International Investment Position Statistics: A Supplement
Prepared by the Statistics Department
(In Consultation with the Policy Development and Review Department and the Treasurer's Department)


October 10, 2002

  1. This supplement provides an update to the Executive Board paper Development of International Investment Position Statistics (SM/02/263, 8/15/02) concerning the number of countries disseminating International Investment Position (IIP) data under the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS).

2. In SM/02/263 it was noted that the transition period for the dissemination of IIP data under the SDDS expired on December 31, 2001. Therefore, data for this date should have been disseminated no later than June 30, 2002 (except in the cases of subscribers who have begun disseminating data for the new quarterly external debt data category, who may take up to nine months to disseminate their IIP).

3. Paragraph 27 of SM/02/263 reported that 37 SDDS subscribing countries had disseminated complete IIP data on their national websites by the end of July 2002. Of the remaining 13 subscribers, one was using a fiscal year that ended in March to disseminate IIP data in September; five were using available flexibility options for timeliness; and three had chosen to begin disseminating quarterly external debt data ahead of schedule -the transition period ends in March 2003- to avail themselves of the additional three-months allowed for disseminating IIP data. Another four countries were working with the Fund to address coverage issues on their IIP and quarterly external debt statistics.

4. The attached table reflects developments since the end of July. By September 30, 2002, 47 subscribers disseminated IIP data on their national web sites. Among the 47, four have chosen to begin disseminating quarterly external debt data prior to the end of the transition period for external debt so as to avail themselves of the additional three-months allowed for disseminating IIP data, two are using a flexibility option to disseminate data with a timeliness greater than six months, and one is using a fiscal year that ends in March to disseminate data in September. The remaining three subscribers are planning to use the available flexibility options for timeliness and will disseminate data with a lag on the prescribed timeliness not to exceed nine months.

SDDS Subscribers and the Dissemination of the International Investment Position

Description

Subscriber

Coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of IIP in accordance with SDDS1

47 subscribers: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium2, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica2, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany3, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, India4, Indonesia3, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, The Philippines3, Poland3, Portugal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Subscribers that have not yet disseminated IIP data

3 subscribers: Ireland2, Korea2, and Malaysia.2

1. The SDDS calls for the IIP to be compiled in accordance with the fifth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual and prescribes that assets and liabilities should be classified into direct investment; portfolio investment, showing a breakdown into equity and debt; other investment; and reserves (assets only). Annual periodicity and six-month timeliness are prescribed.

2. Subscribers that are using a regular flexibility option for timeliness of IIP: under the SDDS, a subscriber may utilize a flexibility option for the periodicity and/or timeliness of a maximum of two data categories. Use of this option does not preclude observance of the Standard.

3. Subscribers that are using a special flexibility option for timeliness of IIP: an SDDS subscriber is allowed a special flexibility in the timeliness of annual IIP data (no later than nine months ) if they are disseminating quarterly external debt data that meet the SDDS requirements.

4. Subscriber with a fiscal year ending March 31: in the event that IIP data are based on a fiscal year that is not the same as the calendar year, the first reference period is the fiscal year ending after June 30, 2001, and the dissemination deadline is six months after the end of the reference period. As such, for IIP data based on the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2002, the dissemination deadline is September 30, 2002.