1. Recent developments in Israel Foreign Trade Statistics Methodology
David Wajnryt
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
MEDSTAT III - Trade - EJPAI Working Group
Berlin, May 3-5, 2011

2. Outline Background Methodology and recent developments
Planned developments

3. Background
Medstat
OECD
Increased Internal Demand

4. Trade System Special Trade system Included: Not included:
Personal import and export
Ships and aircraft
Products for exhibitions and fairs (only if sold or given free of charge)
Gold an silver (non-monetary)
Not included:
Commodities imported or exported for a limited period of time and returned without having undergone any processing
Effects purchased by tourist in Israel or by Israelis abroad
Monetary gold, securities and legal tender (notes and coins)
Fuel and food supplied to Israeli ships and aircraft in foreign ports
Imported military equipment and weapons
Trade with the Palestinian Authority

5. Methodology – data Sources
Forms submitted to Customs Authorities
Administrative summaries prepared by institutions
Ships
Aircraft
Agriculture
Diamonds
Other

6. Methodology - Value CIF for Imports FOB for exports
Estimates based on market price
Import and export data are recorded in the currency of the transaction and calculated in Israeli Shekels according to the customs exchange rate

7. Methodology - Countries
Country of import might be
Country of purchase
Country of origin
Country of export
Country of last known destination

8. Methodology - Classifications
Harmonized System 2007
SITC Rev 4
ISIC Rev 3
Economic use – national classification
Technological Intensity
High-Tech
Medium-High-Tech
Medium–Low-Tech
Low-Tech

9. Methodology – Price Indices
Price unit value
Laspeyres (weights of the base period)
Paasche (weights of the current period)
Fisher (geometric average of the two above indices) formulas.

10. Dissemination - Press releases
Monthly
Data by Countries
Import data by Commodity groups and economic use
Export data by aggregated industries and Tech intensity
Quarterly
Price Indices
Annual
Imports by Country of origin
Exports by Country and industry
Trade Balance by Technological Intensity
Foreign Exchange Rates

11. Dissemination - Other
Foreign Trade Statistics Monthly - Monthly data by several classifications and breakdowns
Data series linked to a central database
Annual data by country and commodity

12. Recent developments Monthly price indices
Annual data by country and commodity
Available online
Monthly data by commodities and countries
Available online as downloadable files (2009 and 2010)
Data in NIS
Tables for OECD countries

13. Planned developments 2012: 2013 HS 2012 ISIC4 CPC Rev2
Monthly dissemination of imports and exports downloadable files
Price indices monthly press release
Revision of economic uses classification based on recent surveys
2013
General trade system
New customs system based on international standards
Redefined database and procedures
Electronic data collection
Access to data not available today

14. Israel National Methodology
Thank you
ICBS – David Wajnryt May 2010