Observe: the market observation mission

Observation covers sales volumes, prices, geographical distribution and the structure of segments. It also looks at declared import and export flows and at the reports recorded in the BIOP database.

These data are not commercial estimates. They are reconciled with the declarations of the Member States and of approved auction houses before any publication.

Three sources feed the barometer: declarations from the national focal points, reports from approved auction houses and cases handled by the Desk. Each source is weighted according to its coverage and regularity.

Discrepancies above an internal threshold trigger a check with the source. The series are then revised once a year, and the revisions are flagged in the methodological note.

The results are presented to the Executive Council and the General Assembly. They are used to justify the directives, calibrate coordinated operations and guide the Academy's curricula.

A fast-growing segment, for example, calls for heightened vigilance over provenance. Conversely, a lasting decline may lead to easing certain formalities.

The Market and Studies Directorate works according to rules of neutrality: no data is modified at the request of a State or an operator. The methods are described in the publications.

The 2024 figures are those of the Organization's statistical reference. The additional values mentioned on the site are marked as indicative when they have not been validated.

An indicator only makes sense with its scope. Private sales, for example, are only partially known. Market shares by region should therefore be read as orders of magnitude.

For detailed series, see the market indicators and the open data.