- Home
- Data Catalog
- Annual Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad (Form BE-11)
Annual Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad (Form BE-11)
Add to My BasketDescription
This survey collects information on the worldwide activities of U.S. multinational enterprises; the information includes details on the finances and operations of these enterprises, including their employment and compensation, sales, value added, capital expenditures, trade in goods, and expenditures for research and development. Data are collected separately for U.S. parent companies and their foreign affiliates. The survey is conducted on a sample of foreign affiliates. In order to reduce the reporting burden, the sample does not include small foreign affiliates. Instead, BEA imputes data for these affiliates by extrapolating forward their data from the most recent benchmark survey on the basis of the movement of the sample data.
Detailed Methodology
Firm level cutoff sample surveys with above size-exemption levels. However, restricted access data includes BEA imputations for affiliates below the cutoff by extrapolating forward their data from the most recent benchmark survey on the basis of the movement of the sample data.
Microdata are almost entirely based on responses to enterprise level surveys administered by BEA, although other information is used to adjust some observations and variables. Annual surveys are not administered in years that the benchmark BE-10 survey is administered, but similar variables are available in the benchmark survey.
These linkage capabilities are for linking specific firms in two different data sets. Additional linkages of more general firm characteristics of (ex. location or industry specific information) can also be made to the extent the information is available in the survey. See "Crosswalks involving BEA microdata" ( https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2023-01/ssrp-bea-crosswalks-microdata.pdf ) for a description of crosswalks available between different BEA data sets and the Census Business Register. Data may also be matched to firm level data with name, EIN, and other identification fields as part of research proposal for approved data sources. Typically only the primary EIN for the enterprise is available.