Monday Apr 20, 2026
Monday Apr 20, 2026
Monday, 20 April 2026 04:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
In 2025, the value of world merchandise exports increased by 7.2%. Global exports amounted to $ 26.3 trillion, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Developing economies recorded a modest increase in their aggregated trade surplus.
The developing economies’ substantial increase of exports (+8.7%) was strongly driven by the larger representatives of that group, including China (+5.5%), Taiwan Province of China (+35.1%), Hong Kong, China (+16.7%) and Viet Nam (+16.8%).
Several African least developed countries achieved high rates of growth, especially the Central African Republic (+110.3%), Burkina Faso (+96.4%), and Burundi (89.6%).
World services exports surpassed $9.5 trillion in 2025, marking another year of strong growth with an 8.2% annual increase. By region, the highest growth of total services exports was recorded in Africa – 14% in Northern Africa and 13% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
WTO said as a group, developing economies are moving towards the Sustainable Development Goal of capturing a larger share of world services exports. However, removing their five leading exporters paints a gloomier picture for the group. The remaining developing economies lost market share over the last decade.
All main services categories, except transport, saw solid growth in international trade. Transport services exports grew by a modest 2% amid tariff changes and security concerns affecting transport routes, the WTO added.
