Marketing Research Guide

Find background information and current news on individual countries and regions. Site is provided by the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Learn about market conditions, purchasing power, consumer trends, distribution channels, navigating entry constraints, best sectors, key contacts, and more from Export.gov.

Eldis provides both country profiles and regional profiles, subdivided by topic (agriculture, finance, governance, trade, etc.). Suitable for browsing or keyword searches.

Browse by country to locate full country profiles for the 34 OECD member countries (or news for non-member countries). An OECD country profile is subdivided by: Find (most popular), Display all (by topic or date), Statistics, Books, and What's New. While some publications require a subscription or online purchase, substantial material is freely available from this site.

Select the “Countries” tab to browse by region or choose a country. Available from this World Bank site are development reports, global economics and trade data, country and regional information, current research projects, and information on international development loans and activities.

Published by the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency, the World Factbook contains country profiles with economic, social, and political information, arranged by country or location. Included are maps and cultural information for international business.

Europa World covers political and economic information in over 250 countries and territories.

Comprehensive directory maintained at Northwestern University.

GlobalEdge is compiled and maintained by the International Business Center at Michigan State University,

Directory including the United Nations, European Union, and other IGO's and their constituent agencies.

Statistics and other reports chiefly concerning the 30 member nations of the OECD.

The ITC dataweb can be used to create monthly, quarterly, and annual reports about U.S. imports and exports extending back to 1989. The data can be parsed into very specific product categories based on 10-digit Harmonized Tariff classification. The dataweb assumes a lot of prior knowledge about trade data, so a novice should plan to spend an hour or two learning how to use it. Even so, in my opinion it is the best source available for customized U.S. import and export data.

Basic demographic, social, and economic data about countries around the world.

Click the Resources link at the top right of the WTO homepage, and then click Trade Statistics in the drop down menu to find the International Trade Statistics yearbook extending back to 1998. subjects such as industry overview, issues, trends, and outlook, industry financial information and financial ratios, compensation and salary surveys, and business valuation resources.

Use this classification to locate a commodity in the International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume 2.