Global Trade in Goods and Services Grows 4.7% in 2025, WTO Reports

Oluchi Chibuzor

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has announced that global trade in goods and services grew by about 4.7 percent in 2025, well above the 2.9 percent pace of global economic growth.

Deputy Director‑General Jennifer Nordquist made the disclosure at the launch of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre’s Future of Trade Report 2026.

Nordquist said the WTO will continue to underpin the majority of international trade, even as the system adapts to new technologies, shifting supply chains and geopolitical uncertainty.

She highlighted the need to advance WTO reform while maintaining the predictability and transparency that businesses rely on.

Nordquist noted that, amid profound change for businesses, governments and international organisations, initiatives such as this report help people look beyond immediate headlines and think strategically about the future direction of global trade.

According to her, “And there is certainly no shortage of issues to discuss, artificial intelligence is transforming production, services, and trade operations, supply chains are adapting to geopolitical tensions, which includes dealing with good ol’ fashioned geography, not just technology, new technologies are changing how goods move, how services are delivered, and how firms compete. Taken together, these developments raise important questions about the future of world trade and the institutions that underpin it.”

“The headlines often focus on fragmentation, de‑risking, and frictions. Yet the data tell a more nuanced story. Global trade in goods and services expanded by approximately 4.7 percent in 2025, significantly above the rate of global economic growth (2.9 percent) – almost double – and a significantly better performance than even our own economists had predicted (‑0.2 percent).”