The tables in this handbook represent extractions from or analytical summaries of datasets contained in the UNCTADstat Data Centre, available at: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/ UNCTADstat is continuously updated and enhanced, thus providing users with the latest available statistics.

Consequently, the figures from this handbook, which presents statistics at a point in time, may not always correspond with the latest figures in UNCTADstat.

Basic information on concepts, definitions and calculation methods of the presented statistics are provided in the boxes titled “Concepts and definitions” in each section and in annex 6.3 of this handbook. More detailed information on the sources and methods used for production of data available in UNCTADstat can be found in the documentation attached to the respective UNCTADstat dataset (UNCTAD, 2022a).

Where the designation “economy” appears, it refers to a country, territory or area. The assignment of economies to specific groups is done for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding the political or other affiliation of these economies by the United Nations. Likewise, the designations “developing” and “developed” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular economy in the development process.

Due to the removal of the group of the “transition economies” in the 2021 edition, and due to a reclassification of the development status of the Republic of Korea in 2022, the classification of economies into “developing” and “developed” applied in this handbook is different from the classification used in earlier editions. Also, a broader definition of small island developing States (SIDS) as defined by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) is applied since 2021.

The corresponding group aggregates are therefore not comparable with data presented in earlier handbooks. For more details, see annex 6.2 of this handbook.

The population data used in this edition have been substantially revised by the United Nations Population Division in summer 2022. They reflect for the first time the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This had an impact on the figures of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

Unless otherwise specified, the values of groups of economies represent the sums of the values of the individual economies included in the group. Calculation of these aggregates may take into account data estimated by the UNCTAD secretariat that are not necessarily reported separately. When data coverage is insufficient within a group of economies, no aggregation is undertaken and the symbol (-) is assigned.

Due to rounding, values do not necessarily add up exactly to their corresponding totals.

United States dollars (US$) are expressed in current United States dollars of the year to which they refer, unless otherwise specified. “Ton” means metric ton (1 000 kg).

Due to space constraints, the names of the following countries may appear in abbreviated form: the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Federated States of Micronesia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.