Statistical processing

Source data

The statistics are compiled on the basis of two main sources: Extrastat and Intrastat.

Extrastat covers Denmark's trade in goods (imports and exports) with non-EU countries (third country) on the basis of the data on customs and supplies reported by business enterprises to the Danish tax authorities concerning their trade in goods with countries outside the EU. Consequently, Extrastat is an administrative (secondary) source.

Intrastat is the system behind the statistics of the trade of goods between Denmark and the other EU countries. Prior to the introduction of EC's Single Market on 1 January 1993, this trade was also covered by the Extrastat-system. However, following the introduction of the Single Market, the requirement concerning customs and forwarding documents in connection with intra-EU trade was abolished. Consequently, Extrastat was no longer able to provide information about this trade and Intrastat was introduced on 1 January 1993.

In Intrastat, a statistical threshold is applied, based on the value of annual imports and exports to other EU Member States. The threshold on export is set by Statistics Denmark in compliance with the requirements of coverage stated in the EU legislation on Intrastat. The threshold for import is set with a view to ensuring the quality of the statistical product. Enterprises whose annual EU trade is below the limits for export or import are exempted from reporting detailed data under the Intrastat system. The Intrastat thresholds are set at levels where the enterprises reporting to Intrastat amount to minimum 81 per cent of the total value of EU imports and minimum 95 per cent of EU exports.

In addition to Intrastat and Extrastat, data from other sources are received for certain specific goods: - Vessels and aircraft: Data are obtained from the Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Transport Authority. - Sea products: Data are obtained from the Danish Fisheries Agency. - Natural gas: Calculated using a combination of administratively determined average prices and collected meter measurements at the Danish border. Trade is recorded for countries to/from which Denmark has pipelines. A simple netting of gas volumes to/from Norway and Poland is carried out in order to exclude the transit of gas through the Baltic Pipe. - Electricity: Trade in electricity is based on meter measurements at the border, while price information is obtained from the Nordic electricity spot market. - Private purchases (internet trade): Calculated using a combination of customs declarations, data from the Danish Tax Agency’s VAT systems (OSS), and exchanged export data from other EU countries.

Frequency of data collection

Intrastat data are collected monthly and the deadline for reporting data under Intrastat is the tenth working day after the reference month. Extrastat data are collected on daily basis when the customs declarations are submitted to the customs authorities.

Data collection

In Intrastat it is mandatory to submit declarations digitally. The reporting tools is Idep.web. In Extrastat, reporting tools provided by customs authorities are used and almost all are digitally reporting tools.

Data validation

Statistics on the Danish External Trade in Goods are compiled on the basis of customs declarations for the trade with non-EU countries and reports to the Intrastat system covering trade with EU countries.

The collected data are validated at several levels before the statistics are disseminated. First, the reporting obligation of the enterprises is monitored. Furthermore, the data are check for any logical error (e.g. wrongful commodity code) or missing information. Trade reported on e.g. wrongful commodity codes is not included in trade figures before the information is corrected.

Credibility checks of the reported data are also carried out. In these checks the reported records are compared with records reported in the past. Those records which have a significant effect on the trade figures are checked manually. Records with less effect on the trade figures are automatic corrected. Significant errors are corrected quickly by telephone contact with the enterprises, while the other potential erroneous records are included in the statistics while investigations are carried out.

The reports are also checked for completeness. Large records are checked manually each month. In Intrastat, the reported figures are also compared with the enterprises' declaration of EU purchases and acquisitions stated on the VAT statements.

It is likely that not all erroneous records are identified and therefore the accuracy of the trade figures can be somewhat affected at detailed levels. Since the validation is targeted on large records, it is assessed that the effect of wrongful records is limited at aggregated level of the trade figures.

Data compilation

The reported EU trade is grossed up to full coverage of external trade in goods, by making estimation for trade from enterprises exempted from Intrastat reporting based on the stated value of purchases of goods from other EU countries (box A) and the value of sales of goods to other EU countries (box B) from the VAT statement and by making estimation from the enterprises obliged to Intrastat which have failed to report or have reported wrongfully. Consequently, the disseminated trade figures are thus covering the total trade.

The estimations are distributed by commodity codes and partner countries. For export, the distribution of goods is based on the industry-specific trade patterns of the reporting companies, while the geographical distribution is estimated from the administrative source EU sales without VAT, indicating which EU countries Danish companies have traded with. For those companies that are exempted from reporting to Intrastat, the industry-specific trade pattern is based on the trade of small and medium-sized companies. For reporting companies that have not reported, the industry-specific trade pattern is based on the trade of large and medium-sized companies and the companies' own historical data. For import, the distribution by commodity codes and partner countries of trade by companies which are exempted from reporting is based on exchanged export data from other EU member states. For trade by companies which have not reported, the distribution of estimates by commodity codes and partner countries is done in the same way as for export.

The unit value and volume indices based on international trade in goods data is as of May 11th 2020 based on microdata on firm level. Building the indices from a firm level micro-data helps to reduce the composition bias, i.e. the unit values have a better chance of reflecting the actual price changes and reducing the bias from changes in commodity composition. Previously the comparison was on commodity code level, hence data from several firms on the same commodity code was merged. More information on the new method can be found in this Danish methodological paper.

Adjustment

No seasonally adjusted figures are published for foreign trade in goods. Seasonally adjusted figures for trade in goods calculated according to the balance of payments principles can be found in table UHM.