About TradePulse

What this is

Trade and economic data describe the size and shape of national economies and the flows of goods and services between them. The headline figure is usually Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — the total value of everything a country produces in a year — alongside how much it exports, how much it imports, and the balance between the two.

TradePulse pulls open indicators from the World Bank and partner sources, normalizes economies onto a common scale (log₁₀ of GDP in US dollars, so a $1 trillion economy and a $1 billion economy can sit on the same map), and shows the trade flows that connect them. The aim is to make the standard measures of an economy — output, trade, and the gaps between countries — readable at a glance.

• 📊 Key economic indicators explainedGDP, GDP per capita, the trade balance and the current account — what each one measures and what it does not.
• 🚢 How international trade flows workExports and imports, bilateral flows between two countries, tariffs, and the idea of comparative advantage.
• 🔍 Reading the data correctlyNominal vs. real values, market exchange rates vs. purchasing-power parity, and why recent figures are provisional.
• 🗄️ Where the data comes fromThe World Bank, IMF, UN Comtrade and FRED — what each provides and the limits of comparing across them.

Reading economic data responsibly

Economic indicators are powerful but easy to misread. Keep these distinctions in mind so a number means what you think it means — and remember that recent figures are provisional.

Data sources

• World Bank Open Data — Broad cross-country indicators — GDP, GDP per capita, trade and more — for nearly every country, often back several decades.
• IMF World Economic Outlook — Macroeconomic data and forecasts from the International Monetary Fund, updated on its own schedule and methods.
• UN Comtrade — Reference database for bilateral merchandise trade flows between countries, by product; free-tier access is limited.
• FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) — A deep catalog of economic time series, weighted toward US indicators, maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Frequently asked

Is a trade surplus good and a deficit bad?

Neither is inherently good or bad. A surplus means a country exports more than it imports and a deficit the reverse; both are normal, and economies grow with either. The balance reflects exchange rates, demand and the business cycle, not a country’s success.

What is the difference between nominal and real GDP?

Nominal GDP is measured at current prices, so it rises when prices rise. Real GDP is adjusted for inflation (held at constant prices), so it reflects actual changes in the volume of output. Use real figures to compare an economy over time.

Why do GDP rankings change under purchasing-power parity?

PPP values output at a common set of prices instead of at market exchange rates, adjusting for the fact that money buys more in some countries than others. Lower-price-level economies tend to look larger under PPP. Neither method is simply correct — each answers a different question.

Why is recent data sometimes missing or marked provisional?

Economic data is published with a lag — often quarterly or annually, weeks or months after the period — and is revised as more complete information arrives. Recent figures are early estimates that can change, and coverage is thinner for smaller economies.

Why does this figure differ from another source?

The World Bank, IMF, UN Comtrade and FRED use partly different methods, currency conventions and update schedules, so the same indicator can differ between them. We label the source for each value so you can see where it comes from.