Question:
I am a registered user of UN Comtrade and noticed that when selecting commodity classifications on the platform, only “HS as reported” and “SITC LTS” appear as options. I was expecting additional SITC revisions (e.g., Rev.1 to Rev.4), as these were previously available. Could you clarify the following:
1. Do specific SITC revisions require additional access permissions or configuration?
2. Is this a technical limitation, and are there plans to restore other SITC revisions in the future?
3. Are there any recommended workarounds to retrieve data using other SITC revisions?
Answer:
Thank you for your inquiry. Here’s some clarification regarding SITC classification availability on the UN Comtrade platform:
1. Why only “SITC LTS” is available in the dropdown #
The SITC LTS (Long Time Series) option is a consolidated classification that merges multiple SITC revisions (Rev.1 to Rev.4) into one. This approach was adopted to optimize storage and performance in the main database, ensuring broad coverage while minimizing redundancy. As a result, individual SITC revisions (S1, S2, S3, S4) are no longer displayed in the user interface.
2. Accessing specific SITC revisions #
While these individual SITC versions are no longer shown in the UI, they are still accessible through the UN Comtrade API. For example:
- SITC Rev.1 for 1991:
https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/S1?period=1991 - SITC Rev.2 for 1988:
https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/S2?period=1988
By selecting SITC LTS, users receive a combination of available records from SITC1 through SITC4. This improves data coverage in a single query. For example, for the year 1988, the number of reporting countries per classification is as follows:
| Classification | Reporters in 1988 |
|---|---|
| SITC LTS | 108 |
| SITC Rev.1 | 105 |
| SITC Rev.2 | 99 |
| SITC Rev.3 | 37 |
| SITC Rev.4 | 0 |
3. Additional options for premium users #
If you are a premium subscriber, you have access to comprehensive historical classification datasets (including SITC Rev.1 to Rev.4, and BEC Rev.4 and 5) across all available years (e.g., SITC Rev.1 from 1962–2024). These are available as bulk downloadable files or via the premium API.
Summary #
- No additional permissions are needed to access SITC revisions; they’re just no longer exposed in the UI.
- You can still retrieve specific SITC revision data through the API.
- For broader SITC coverage, use SITC LTS in the web interface.
- Premium users can download full datasets or use the premium API for extensive historical data.
For further assistance with API queries or bulk data access, please refer to our Developer Portal or contact our support team at comtrade@un.org.
