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Dataset description and subject overview

The OECD's International Direct Investment database provides detailed statistics on international direct investment to and from the OECD area. Data are broken down by geographical zone and industrial sector for direct investment flows and stocks. The data are presented in the following tables:

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Direct Investment by Country
Provides statistics for OECD countries on international direct investment flows (inflows, outflows) and position (inward, outward) by geographical distribution, i.e. to and from partner countries and regions. Data are provided in national currency.

FDI - by Industrial Sectors
Provides statistics for OECD countries on international direct investment flow (inflows, outflows) and positions (inward, outward) by industrial sector, according to the International Standard Industrial Classification Rev. 3 secondary level classification.

Exchange Rates
Provides statistics for OECD countries on exchange rates both as yearly averages and end-of-period rates in national currency units per United States dollar (USD). Note: These OECD series relate to exchange rates used at the time of drafting to compute the amounts in US dollars for comparative tables. Data are provided in national currency per US dollar.

Summary Tables
This table provides cross-country comparisons of international direct investment flows (inflows, outflows) and positions (outward, inward). Data are provided in millions of US dollars

User Documentation

The OECD produces the following documentation about the database:

• International Direct Investment Statistics Yearbook Edition 2010 (www.esds.ac.uk/international/support/user_guides/oecd/IDI_yearbook.pdf).
• The Report on the survey of implementation of methodological standards for Direct Investment (www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/45/2752183.pdf) examines the statistical measurement of foreign direct investment (FDI) in OECD and IMF member countries.
• The OECD Directorate for Financial, Fiscal and Enterprise Affairs - (www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_33725_1_1_1_1_1,00.html)
  
• The OECD's Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment (www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/16/2090148.pdf) provides detailed operational guidance on how FDI data should be compiled to meet internationally agreed standards.
• The OECD's Glossary of Statistical Terms (http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/)
• The OECD provides a Glossary of Foreign Direct Investment Terms and Definitions (www.oecd.org/dataoecd/56/1/2487495.pdf)

The OECD International Direct Investment Statistics hosted by ESDS International documentation are delivered by Beyond 20/20 WDS:

• About Beyond 20/20 (www.esds.ac.uk/international/support/software.asp)
• Accessing OECD data (Main Economic Indicators) via Beyond 20/20 WDS (www.esds.ac.uk/international/support/user_guides/oecd/meiwe.asp)

Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to read documents in pdf format. You can download it free of charge from the Adobe website (www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep.html).

Accessing the OECD International Direct Investment Statistics

To access the ESDS International macro-economic datasets you must be a user from a UK higher or further education institution. We cannot provide data to users outside of this community due to the data re-distribution license agreements we have with our data providers. If you are a member of a UK higher or further education institution access to the macro-economic datasets is provided free of charge.

Access to data requires ESDS registration and uses the federated access management authentication system. Registration is a simple online process - go to the How to Register web page (www.esds.ac.uk/aandp/access/access.asp) to begin the process.

Once you have registered with ESDS and attempt to access one of the macro-economic datasets, you will automatically be prompted to agree to additional dataset specific conditions if they apply.

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Countries in the OECD International Direct Investment Statistics

Australia, Austria, the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Periodicity and Time Range

The OECD International Direct Investment annual time series statistics are available from 1985 onwards. The database is updated annually - see the new data page for the latest update information (www.esds.ac.uk/International/News/dataupdate.asp#oecdidind) .