SDD is working to fill gaps in evidence related to the climate and the environment through improvements to air emissions data in line with the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), as well as complementary initiatives to support and promote the implementation of the SEEA. Most recently, SDD has taken work forward on measuring greenhouse gas emissions on a quarterly basis, jointly with the IMF and the IEA, as well as global emissions from air and maritime transport.

The study of inflation is central to the analysis of macroeconomic conditions. SDD compile consumer price indices (CPIs), which are designed to measure changes over time in average retail prices of a fixed basket of goods and services taken as representing the consumption habits of households. In addition, SDD has developed a unique data set on national and sub-national real estate prices – work that is planned to be taken forward and expanded given the importance of housing for people’s well-being. SDD is also involved in the International Comparison Programme (ICP), a worldwide statistical partnership which produces purchasing power parities (PPPs) and comparative price levels for participating economies to compare their size of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its main components internationally, taking account of differences in price levels.

Monitoring patterns in international trade is key to understanding the interconnections between our economies. SDD compile data on international merchandise and services trade, reporting import and export figures for the G20 on a quarterly basis. Furthermore, SDD contribute to the discussion on digital trade, notably via the Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade, which sets out a conceptual and measurement framework for digital trade aligning with the broader standards for macro-economic statistics. SDD also aim to tackle asymmetries in international trade data through the development of transparent methodologies to reconcile these asymmetries for both merchandise and services flows.

Productivity is key for long run economic well-being and raising living standards. With population ageing and environmental issues looming large, this will be even more relevant in the future and productivity developments will need to be closely monitored, compared and analysed. The OECD has been a pioneer in international productivity measurement. Work continues as new challenges arise, be it in factoring the environment into the way we measure productivity or by taking new, intangible forms of capital into account.

Nowadays, policymaking and economic analyses rely heavily on statistics and international comparisons. The demand for high-frequency, reliable but also easily accessible data is increasing. To respond to this demand, the OECD has created the Short-Term Indicators Dashboard, covering G20 countries and selected regional aggregates. It allows users to follow key macro-economic developments using interactive charts and tables. The Dashboard is updated twice a month, allowing users to track economic trends in a timely matter.

In our increasingly digitalised world, there are a wealth of new data sources to leverage and new data techniques to leverage them. In SDD, we are helping to push the frontier, including through collaboration on the OECD-UNSD Multinational Enterprise Information Platform (MEIP); by nowcasting trade in value added (TiVA) indicators; and by using Automatic Identification System (AIS) information to monitor port congestion and trends in maritime trade flows and to monitor CO2 emissions from global shipping.