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Singapore's non-oil domestic exports, or NODX, measure a different part of goods exports from non-oil re-exports, or NORX. NODX covers the non-oil domestic-export category; NORX covers the non-oil re-export category. Neither figure alone is total merchandise exports, and neither measures Singapore's GDP or domestic value added.
Start with two questions: is the export classified as domestic or a re-export, and is it oil or non-oil? Keeping those classifications separate makes a trade headline easier to read.
Domestic exports can contain imported parts
“Domestic” describes the export's origin under Singapore's trade-statistics definition. It does not mean every input was made in Singapore.
SingStat's merchandise-trade definitions include goods grown or produced in Singapore and goods manufactured, assembled or processed there. The latter can contain imported materials or parts. A locally manufactured product can therefore be a domestic export even though some of its inputs came from abroad.
Re-exports are goods exported in the form in which they were imported, without transformation. Under the cited definition, repacking, splitting into lots, sorting, grading and marking do not count as that transformation. Merely repacking an imported product does not turn it into a domestic export.
These definitions help you interpret statistical categories. They are not a ruling on the classification of a particular shipment or advice about customs requirements.
Add the non-oil filter to the origin classification
NODX means non-oil domestic exports. NORX means non-oil re-exports. The second term is narrower than all re-exports: oil re-exports are outside NORX. Likewise, oil domestic exports are outside NODX.
Enterprise Singapore uses NODX and NORX as separate labels in its trade reporting. The distinction is about which goods the measure includes, not a ranking of how important one activity is.
Consider one fictional reporting period. All amounts below use the same illustrative currency units, CU, and the same current-price valuation basis for that period. They are not Singapore dollars, US dollars or actual trade observations. “Current-price” here means valued at the prices assigned to that period; it does not make the example a current market report.
Assume the dataset contains exactly three merchandise-export flows. The first two have the classifications stated below. The final flow gives only the combined oil-export value; its domestic-export versus re-export split is unknown. There are no other merchandise-export flows in this example, and services are outside it.
| Assigned export flow | Origin classification | Oil filter | Value (CU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods manufactured in Singapore; imported parts may be included | Domestic exports, by assumption | Non-oil | 40 |
| Imported goods exported without transformation; only repacked | Re-exports, by assumption | Non-oil | 60 |
| Combined oil exports | Domestic/re-export split not supplied | Oil | 20 |
The 40 CU belongs in NODX, while the 60 CU belongs in NORX. The combined oil amount belongs in neither non-oil measure. Knowing that oil exports total 20 CU does not tell you how much is domestic oil exports and how much is oil re-exports.
Reconcile the components without adding a subtotal twice
Merchandise exports comprise domestic exports plus re-exports. For this dataset, you can first combine the two non-oil components and then add oil exports:
Non-oil exports = NODX + NORX = 40 + 60 = 100 CU.
Total merchandise exports = non-oil exports + oil exports = 100 + 20 = 120 CU.
| Measure | Calculation or assigned value | Role in the reconciliation |
|---|---|---|
| NODX | 40 CU | Non-oil domestic-export component |
| NORX | 60 CU | Non-oil re-export component |
| Non-oil exports | 40 + 60 = 100 CU | Subtotal of the preceding two components |
| Combined oil exports | 20 CU | Separate oil component; origin split unknown |
| Total merchandise exports | 100 + 20 = 120 CU | Total of the non-oil subtotal and oil component |
You can also add the three original flows directly: 40 + 60 + 20 = 120 CU. Adding the 100 CU subtotal to those same three flows would count the non-oil goods twice.
The missing oil split matters if you want total domestic exports or total re-exports. Neither can be calculated from these inputs alone. The known 120 CU total does not supply that missing breakdown.
Export value is not domestic value added or physical volume
The 40 CU of NODX is a gross export value. It does not reveal how much of that value came from imported inputs or how much value was added domestically. You cannot call the whole 40 CU a contribution to GDP. Re-export value also does not, by itself, measure domestic value added associated with handling or other activity.
The figures are values in a common currency unit, not quantities of goods. A higher recorded value can reflect prices, quantities or a changed mix of products. The StatLink FAQ explains that physical quantities can use different units, such as litres, kilograms and square metres. A broad group containing different goods cannot simply be read as one physical quantity.
Do not use this one-period table to calculate growth: it has no earlier comparison period. When reading actual growth figures, match the series, currency and units, period, price basis, seasonal adjustment, comparison basis and release version. A monthly change, an annual comparison and a revised estimate are different measurements.
NODX growth need not match NORX growth or total-export growth. Nor does an unweighted average of two headline percentages reconstruct the total: you would need matched coverage and the relevant previous-period values. A series adjusted for price changes answers a different question from a current-price value series; check the series description rather than assuming an adjustment from the headline.
Keep the other trade measures separate
Merchandise exports concern goods. Services exports are a separate subject, so they are not an extra component hidden inside the example's 120 CU. Total merchandise trade, which combines exports and imports, is also different from merchandise exports alone. A trade balance compares exports with imports; this dataset supplies no import total from which to calculate one.
The same care applies to interpretation. Export values alone do not identify final consumption demand in a destination, establish domestic GDP growth or explain the cause of a market-price move. Use the classification to understand which number you are reading before asking what that number may imply.
Frequently asked questions
Does NODX include re-exports?
No. NODX is non-oil domestic exports. Non-oil re-exports are measured separately as NORX. In the fictional period, NODX is 40 CU and NORX is 60 CU; together they make the 100 CU non-oil-export subtotal.
Can domestic exports contain imported parts?
Yes. Singapore's cited statistical definition includes goods manufactured, assembled or processed in Singapore with imported materials or parts. That does not make the whole export value domestic value added. Repacking alone does not count as transformation under the cited definition.
Is NORX the same as all re-exports?
No. NORX excludes oil. In the example, non-oil re-exports are 60 CU, but the domestic/re-export split of the 20 CU oil amount is unknown. You therefore cannot calculate all re-exports from the supplied figures.
Does NODX equal GDP or domestic value added?
No. It is a gross export-value measure for a particular category of goods. It does not isolate the domestic value added in those goods or cover the whole economy. The example's 40 CU NODX cannot be treated as 40 CU of GDP.
Does a higher export value mean more physical goods were shipped?
Not necessarily. Prices and the mix of goods can change as well as quantities. Read the unit and price basis, and use an appropriately defined quantity or volume measure for that separate question. The one-period fictional values here show no physical quantities or growth rates.
Explore HypaForecast
Browse market questions or visit the BTC 5-minute and 15-minute pages. These general navigation links are separate from the fictional trade-statistics example.
Sources and scope
- SingStat: Our Data Explained—Merchandise Trade. Domestic exports, re-exports and merchandise-export definitions. The cited export-value convention is free on board (FOB); the guide does not classify a real shipment.
- Enterprise Singapore StatLink FAQ. General questions on merchandise versus services, domestic exports versus re-exports, and the different physical units used for goods. Subscription services and company-level records are outside this guide.
- Enterprise Singapore: Review of 2024 Trade Performance, published and updated 14 February 2025. Used only for its separate NODX/NORX labels and merchandise/services distinction, not its historical growth figures or forecasts.
The source definitions were checked on 21 October 2026. This is a guide to reading the measures, not a current trade release, a GDP forecast or a customs determination. The CU amounts are invented. No current trade values, physical volumes or growth rates are reported here, and the historical release's linked full report is outside the source scope.
HypaForecast publishes educational guides and operates a prediction market. This explanation of Singapore trade statistics does not predict GDP or asset prices, offer a trade-data product, or establish your eligibility to use a service.
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