Estimates of global international trade for 2014 are published today jointly with WTO. These statistics cover annual and quarterly merchandise and services transactions - up to Q4 2014. Seasonally adjusted quarterly statistics are also available for the volume of international merchandise commerce.
According to UNCTAD and WTO estimates, world merchandise exports rose moderately by 0.6% in 2014 (current prices), reaching 19 trillion dollars. With a modest 1% increase, developed economies registered the highest annual growth, followed by developing countries (0.7%), while transition economies exports contracted by 5.5%. Least developed countries registered a negative annual export growth (-1.5%).
On the import side, the growth amounted to 0.5%. While developed economies imports increased by 1.6%, transition economies show a negative two digit growth (-10.5%) and imports of developing economies remained stagnant. Least developed countries imports grew by 8%.
In real terms, quarterly figures show that world merchandise exports and imports volume increased by 4.1% and 4.4%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2014, compared with the corresponding period of the year before. Developing economies registered the fastest exports growth among the major groups (5.9%), followed by developed region (2.9%) and transition economies (1.4%).
On a seasonally adjusted basis, world exports volume increased by 2.3% from the previous quarter. Volume growth of exports accelerated in all major groups with the exception of transition economies, where exports growth turned negative (-1.3%).
In 2014, World services exports have risen by 4.2% to 4.9 trillion dollars. Transport services grew by 2.5%, while travel services and goods-related services increased by 3.9% and 2.8% respectively, from previous year.
Between 2009 and 2014, the highest growth rate was registered by LDCs (13.5%), followed by developing Asia (9.5%) and developing America (8.1%). In LDCs, as in a majority of regions, travel and transport accounted for a large part of services exports (62% in LDCs, 56% in developing regions, and about 39% in the developed world).
2009 - 2014 annual average growth rates of merchandise and services exports (In percentage)
Sources: UNCTAD and WTO
Detailed statistics available at the links below:
