Comparability

Comparability - geographical

The statistics are comparable with other countries' external trade statistics, which follow the basic principles of the UN guidelines. Comparability can be influenced by the differences between general and special trade system.

Comparability over time

Any break in the time series as a result of changed collection methods, etc. are adjusted be means of estimations. Consequently, the statistics are comparable over time, ie. from 1988 and onwards .

However, the comparability at detailed commodity level can be affected by changes in the commodity code definition over time.

Time series before 1988 are only available in paper publications and are not comparable over time because of data break cause by changes in compilation methods.

Coherence - cross domain

The External Trade of Goods Statistics are comparable with several other statistics and data sources:

• The partner country's recording of the same transaction (mirror transaction). The comparison is hampered by differences in the level of the value for the recording of imports and exports (respectively, cif and fob) and various methodological differences.

• Information on EU purchases and sales of goods on the VAT return is used by Statistics Denmark in the continuous control and grossing up of data reported to Intrastat.

• For exports of industrial products with figures from the recording of turnover of the industrial statistics in export markets. The comparison is hampered by the fact that the records of the industrial statistics are not distributed by country.

• Furthermore, comparisons are made for a number of commodities with information from commodity-specific statistics.

• The External Trade of Goods Statistics are incorporated into the statistics on Denmark's balance of payments. However, due to definitional differences concerning e.g. bunkering, the trade balance for goods in the Statistics of Balance of Payments are not identical to that of the External Trade of Goods Statistics. For further information, please see quality declaration for Balance of Payment Statistics.

Coherence - internal

The statistics is internally coherent.

Seasonal adjustments are applied indirectly at disaggregated level, ensuring providing consistency between seasonally adjusted totals and their components.