FAQs

The questions and answers below provide examples of practical uses of BIS statistics. They show how the statistics can help answer key questions about the global financial system. The answers give step by step instructions to help you find the information you need in the BIS Statistics Explorer or Statistics Warehouse.

1. What is the difference between the Statistics Explorer and the Statistics Warehouse?

The BIS website offers you two interactive tools to access its statistics. The underlying data are the same for both.

The Statistics Explorer allows you to navigate BIS data through predefined statistical tables, where each figure is linked to the underlying historical data (the time series). These tables display predefined queries, but you can modify the way the data are displayed by changing the chart type (lines, columns, area, etc) and the time interval (one, five or 10 years or the full time series). The Explorer also allows you to compare different data and download them in an editable format (CSV).

The Statistics Warehouse is a more sophisticated tool that allows you to fully customise your queries, either from scratch or by building on an existing query that you can then configure to meet your needs. You can bookmark your own queries to use later on, as well as download them in different formats (CSV, Excel, SDMX).

2. Which national banking systems are most exposed to a particular country?

Go to Table B4 (consolidated banking statistics) in the BIS Statistics Explorer and select a counterparty country (borrower country), for example the United States. The left-hand column of B4 shows a list of banking systems that lend to this country.

In our example, the first column ("Total") in the section "Claims on an immediate counterparty basis" captures lending to a borrower that resides in the United States. The first column ("Total") in the section "Claims on a guarantor basis" captures lending to a borrower in any country that is guaranteed by an entity that resides in the United States.

For example, suppose that a German bank extends a loan to the Mexican subsidiary of a US company and that the loan is guaranteed by the US parent bank. The transaction would be reported as a claim (ie lending) of German banks on Mexico on an immediate counterparty basis and as a claim of German banks on the United States on a guarantor basis.

See the help note for using the BIS Statistics Explorer.

3. How much do banks located in a particular country lend to borrowers in other countries?

Go to Table A5 (locational banking statistics), which shows the data according to the location of the bank, in the BIS Statistics Explorer. Select a reporting country, for example Australia. This will open a table showing the lending ("Claims") and borrowing ("Liabilities") reported by banks located in Australia (regardless of the nationality of their parent bank). The "Claims" column can be used to answer the above question.

To find out more about who banks in a particular country lend to, go to this customised query (locational banking statistics) in the BIS Statistics Warehouse and use the filters to select a "Reporting country". For example, select "Australia" to see lending by banks located in Australia.

See the help note for using the BIS Statistics Explorer.

4. How much do borrowers in a particular country owe to banks in another country?

Go to Table A6.2 (locational banking statistics), which shows the data according to the location of the borrower, in the BIS Statistics Explorer. Select a counterparty country (borrower country), for example Russia. This will open a table showing both the cross-border lending to Russia ("Claims") and cross-border borrowing from Russia ("Liabilities") reported by banks located in the BIS reporting area. To answer the above question, look at the "Claims" column.

See the help note for using the BIS Statistics Explorer.

5. What is the amount of credit in US dollars extended to non-bank borrowers outside the United States?

Go to Table E2.1 (in the global liquidity indicators section) in the BIS Statistics Explorer and see the figures for the most recent quarter in the line labelled "Borrowers outside the United States". The respective amount for borrowers in emerging market economies is found in the row below, labelled "Of which: emerging market economies". A further breakdown at the country-level for 14 emerging market economies is also available in the same table.

To find out more about US dollar credit to non-bank borrowers by borrowing location, go to this customised query (global liquidity indicators) in the BIS Statistics Warehouse and use the filters to select the borrower's country. For example, select "Mexico" to see US dollar credit to non-bank borrowers located in Mexico.

See the help note for using the BIS Statistics Explorer.

6. What is the level of debt of households, companies and governments?

Go to the F tables (credit to the non-financial sector) in the BIS Statistics Explorer and you will find these data presented across more than 40 economies, expressed in percentages of GDP and US dollars.

Tables F3.1, F4.1 and F5.1 show the debt of households, companies and governments, respectively, as a percentage of each economy's GDP. This is the "core debt" owed to (or credit received from) domestic banks and non-banks and foreign lenders. Core debt refers to loans, debt securities, and currencies and deposits. For more information on this data set, see the credit to the non-financial sector webpage.

See the help note for using the BIS Statistics Explorer.

7. How can I download the underlying data to the BIS statistics?

All the data (current and historical) can be downloaded from the BIS website.

To see a list of BIS data sets and download a full data set as a CSV (zipped) file, go to the following page: www.bis.org/statistics/full_data_sets.htm.

To download the data behind each individual table as a CSV file or PDF, use the Statistics Explorer. For example, go to Table C1 and click on "Download" in the upper right-hand corner.

The BIS Statistics Warehouse allows you to download the data in three different formats: CSV, SDMX-ML and Excel. After you run your query in the Warehouse, click on "Download" and choose your preferred format.

The BIS statistics are also accessible via a REST application programming interface (API). Find here the information about the SDMX standard and how to use the API.

8. Where can I find the BIS Statistical Bulletin?

The BIS Statistical Bulletin compiled all BIS data sets and was published in PDF format concurrently with the BIS Quarterly Review. The Statistical Bulletin has been discontinued. December 2019 was the last publication.

You can find the latest data, as well as historical data, on the relevant statistics pages on the BIS website, browse them using the BIS Statistics Explorer and BIS Statistics Warehouse, or download them in a single CSV file. PDF tables can be downloaded in the BIS Statistics Explorer. In the table which you would like to download as a PDF, click "Download" in the top right-hand corner and select "PDF" from the dropdown menu.