From
the World Trade Organization.- International Trade Statistics (ITS):
Annual publication including
detailed analysis and tables for 2007 (leading traders, trade
by sector and product, regional trade, LDCs, etc.)
International Trade Statistics, 2009
Data in real terms show that world gross domestic product (GDP) and
world merchandise exports not only move in tandem, but that export growth
exceeds GDP growth. Growth of world GDP is associated with an even
higher growth in international trade. Declines also show the same tendency
as is shown by Chart I.1 on the volatility of world merchandise trade and
GDP from 1960 to 2008.
It is important to bear in mind that
merchandise trade flows are recorded
on a “gross basis” whereas GDP
measures the value added during the
production of goods and services (i.e.
output less intermediate consumption). This means in particular that traded intermediate products are only taken into
account in GDP through the additional value produced at each step of the production process. In merchandise trade
data, intermediate goods are counted at full value each time they cross the frontier. A higher number of cross-border
movements in the case of intermediate manufactured goods may therefore result in a higher growth of merchandise
trade compared to GDP. The emergence of international supply chains increases this phenomenon.
International Trade Statistics 2009 continues to serve
as an invaluable reference for researchers, policy makers, and anyone interested
in international trade. Previous
editions of ITS
International
Trade Statistics, 2008
Trade slowed down in 2007 due to weakening demand from developed economies.
Realignments in exchange rates and fl uctuations in the prices for commodities,
such as oil and gas, introduced uncertainties into the global markets. Growth
in world merchandise exports slipped to 6 per cent in real terms in 2007, following
a year-to-year expansion of world gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.4 per cent.
The slowdown of trade growth from 8.5 per cent in 2006 is due to a deceleration
of import demand, mainly in the United States but also in Europe and Japan.
Trade remained strong in most developing countries. Regions such as Africa, the
Middle East, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), developing Asia,
and South and Central America showed sustained growth in their economies in
2007. While higher commodity prices
helped to improve the financial situation
of certain countries, higher energy and
food prices also increased infl ationary
pressures worldwide.
International Trade Statistics 2007
International Trade Statistics 2006
International Trade Statistics 2005
International Trade Statistics 2004
International Trade Statistics 2003
International Trade Statistics 2002
International Trade Statistics 2001
This
report provides comprehensive, comparable and up-to-date statistics on trade
in merchandise and commercial services for an assessment of world trade flows
by country, region and main product groups or service categories. Read press
release for explanations and highlights.
Some 250
tables and charts depict trade developments from various perspectives and
provide a number of long-term time series. Major trade developments are
summarized and discussed in the first part of the report under Overview.
Detailed trade statistics are provided in Appendix tables. This volume has
been produced by a team of statisticians from the Statistics Division in
collaboration with the Economic Research and Analysis Division. Previous
editions of ITS
International Trade Statistics 2000
International Trade Statistics 1999
Last year’s Annual Report was written when the Asian financial crisis was only a year old.
There was still considerable concern then about the risk of contagion and deep recession. A
year later, the situation is more healthy, although only the complacent would contest the
need for policy vigilance. Important challenges remain, and recovery is far from complete.
Global GDP growth decelerated sharply from the record expansion in the previous year while
trade volume growth was more than halved. For parts of Asia a contraction in output growth
also meant that import volume growth turned negative. The economic performance of other
regions helped to maintain global output growth at around 2.0 per cent and world export
growth at about 4 per cent in 1998. The United States continued a remarkable period of
expansion, contributing significantly to the global figure. The European Union grew less, but
above the global average.
Developing countries taken as a group did not fare as well as they have in recent years.
Their share of world trade fell for the first time in more than a decade. While the drop in
world output and trade recorded for 1998 may not show much sign of improvement in
1999, it will almost certainly start to look better in the year 2000. Thus it may be argued
that the world economy is turning a corner following the buffeting of the Asian financial
crisis and its aftermath.
International Trade Statistics 1998
Financial and economic turmoil has shaken much of the world in the last few months,
affecting most of Asia and Russia in particular, and presenting new challenges for many
other countries. This crisis calls for a sense of collective responsibility, as urgently as at any
other time in the post-war period. From the perspective of the global trading system, this
means three things. First, it requires a clear and continuing commitment by governments to
the multilateral trading system and a firm resolve to resist protectionism. Second, a fresh
impetus toward trade liberalization would contribute to the resolution of the crisis and
would send a positive signal to the markets. Third, renewed efforts to bring the countries
outside the system, including Russia and China, into the World Trade Organization would
help to complete the global economic architecture for which the need has been so strongly
demonstrated.
The difficulties facing the world economy pose serious policy challenges. Millions have
seen the value of their assets sharply deteriorate. The economies of many Asian nations and...
Statistics
Database
Welcome to the
WTO statistics database, which allows you to retrieve statistical information in
the following presentations.
- The Trade Profiles provide predefined information leaflets on the
trade situation of members, observers and other selected economies;
- The Tariff Profiles provide information on the market access
situation of members, observers and other selected economies;
- The Services Profiles provide detailed statistics on key
infrastructure services (transportation, telecommunications, finance and
insurance) for selected economies;
- The Time Series section allows an interactive data retrieval of
international trade statistics.
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