Press release, 05.02.2025.

Data on external trade in goods to be first published within the European Union by the HCSO starting 2025

Innovation for increasing timeliness, efficiency and relevance

Speeding up data publication, shortening market entry time, decreasing administrative burdens, thus increasing relevance, effectiveness, timeliness in order to improve user satisfaction are strategic goals of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO). HCSO is constantly monitoring the ways to shorten market entry time. As a result, GDP data publication comes 15 days earlier since the first quarter of 2024, while detailed data regarding external trade in goods are released about 40 days earlier than before, leading in this way the publication ranking in the European Union. The External trade in goods, January 2025 First release – its structure and detailing falling into line with the present First release Second estimate content – will be available about 30 days earlier than usual, on 28 February, on the HCSO website. In parallel, the lower detail-content, first estimate related First release will be phased out in 2025. These changes are possible due to the complex renewal of the external trade in goods statistical methodology, going on for three years; its results being not only a shorter market entry time, but as new, previously unused data sources are utilised, and new data supplement methods introduced, data quality is significantly improving, too.

It has to be emphasized, beside the much shorter market entry time, that by using the renewed methodology in the external trade in goods statistics the appreciable lessening of respondent burdens became possible as well. Since the introduction of this innovation data supply obligation ceased for more than 4 000 enterprises, as such Hungary occupies a leading position in lessening respondents’ burdens within the European Union.

Up to date, fact based economic data are indispensable for data users in politics, business and scientific fields, as well as for the media. Economic, financial and technological developments of the last years, as well the 24-hour news cycle require more and more that economic indicators become available at the earliest possible moment. For meeting these demands of the present, the HSCO aims to offer, by constant innovations, to fulfil user expectations in the widest range and fastest way possible.

Hungarian Central Statistical Office

H-1024 Budapest, Keleti Károly u. 5-7. Tel./Phone: (+36-1) 345-6000
Postacím/Postal address: P.O.Box 51 Budapest H-1525
http://www.ksh.hu