I. World trade developments
The value of world merchandise
exports increased by 20 per cent in
2011 while exports of commercial
services grew by 11 per cent.
12
Trade data
List of tables
I WORLD TRADE DEVELOPMENTS
Key developments in 2011: a snapshot
19
19
1. Overview
21
2. Trade by region
22
3. Leading traders
26
4. Bilateral trade of leading traders
30
5. Regional trade agreements 37
6. Least-developed countries
41
7. Foreign affiliates statistics
46
Where to find more online:
you can access and download the Excel files
for the tables via www.wto.org/statistics
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
11
181
24
34 12
Commonwealth of
Independent States
154
409
906
11
152
• In South and Central America , 27
per cent of exports went to other
countries in the region in 2011. In the
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), Africa and the Middle East, the
totals were 20 per cent, 13 per cent
and 9 per cent respectively.
242
Asia
107
38
922
2926
110
158
189
110
Middle
East
• Africa’s main destination market for
export is the European Union, followed
by Asia and North America. A little
over half of CIS exports go to Europe
and the Middle East’s main market is
still Asia. Less than a quarter of South
and Central America’s total exports go
to North America and 22 per cent go
to Asia.
I WORLD TRADE DEVELOPMENTS
• Trade within regions remains strong
in North America, Europe and Asia.
Europe has the highest level of intraregional trade, with 71 per cent of its
exports remaining within Europe in
2011. A total of 53 per cent of Asian
trade is exported to Asian countries
while nearly 48 per cent of North
America’s exports are to members
of the North American Free Trade
Agreement.
117
660
10
6
Africa
Asia
Commonwealth of Independent States
Central & South America & the Caribbean
Europe
Middle East
North America
All figures are in US$ billion
53%
of Middle East products
were exported to Asia in
2011
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
13
Moderate recovery for
merchandise exports in 2011
• World merchandise exports increased by 5 per cent in volume terms in
2011. World gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 2.4 per cent.
• Since 2005, world merchandise trade has grown by 3.7 per cent annually
while GDP has risen by 2.3 per cent.
• Some of the growth in merchandise trade is due to trade in intermediate
products that criss-cross national borders before being processed into
final products.
Volume of world merchandise exports
and gross domestic product, 2005-2011
3.7
2005-11
2.3
6.5
2005
3.4
8.6
2006
6%
Asia’s merchandise
export volumes grew
by 6% in 2011
4.1
6.5
2007
3.9
2.3
2008
1.3
-12.1
2009
5%
World merchandise
import volumes grew
by 5% in 2011
-2.6
14.0
2010
3.8
4.9
2011
2.5
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
ANNUAL PERCENTAGE CHANGE (%)
VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS
GDP
Where to find more:
Table I.2
14
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
US remains the leading
merchandise trader
• The United States remains the world’s biggest trader in
merchandise, with imports and exports totalling US$ 3,746 billion
in 2011. Its trade deficit amounted to US$ 785 billion, 5.2 per cent
of its GDP.
• In contrast to 2010, Japan incurred a trade deficit in 2011,
amounting to US$ 32 billion. With imports and exports totalling
US$ 1,678 billion, it remains the fourth-largest trader in the world.
Leading economies of
merchandise trade, 2011
IMPORTS
US$ BILLION
40%
2700
United States
2300
1900
I WORLD TRADE DEVELOPMENTS
• China and Germany rank second and third respectively in
merchandise trade. Their trade surpluses were US$ 155 billion and
US$ 218 billion respectively in 2011, 2.1 per cent and 6.1 per cent
of their GDP.
Germany’s trade
surplus is 40% higher
than China’s
China
1500
Japan
1100
Germany
The United States
was the world’s
biggest merchandise
trader in 2011
France
700
300
US$ 1,480 bn
Netherlands
Exports
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
EXPORTS US$ BILLION
1600
1800
2000
2200
US$ 2,266 bn
Imports
Where to find more:
Tables A6 and A7
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
15
World exports of commercial
services up by 11% in 2011
• The value of world exports of commercial services rose by 11 per cent
in 2011 to US$ 4,170 billion, exceeding pre-crisis levels of US$ 3,850 in
2008.
• Europe showed signs of recovery, with annual growth of 11 per cent
in 2011. In contrast, Asian economies saw their growth rate halved
compared with 2010, mainly due to slower growth in transportation
services and other commercial services.
• North America’s exports of commercial services expanded by 9 per cent
in 2011, the same as in 2010, while in Africa exports stagnated following
the “Arab Spring” uprising that began at the end of 2010. The CIS was
the most dynamic region, with exports of commercial services increasing
by 19 per cent, followed by South and Central America with 13 per cent.
Commercial services exports,
2010-2011
11
World
10
11%
growth in exports
of world commercial
services in 2011
0%
rise in Africa’s
exports of commercial
services in 2011
19
CIS
13
C. and S.
America and
the Caribbean
13
15
11
Europe
4
11
Asia
23
10
Middle
East
11
9
North
America
9
0
Africa
12
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
ANNUAL PERCENTAGE CHANGE (%)
2010
2011
Where to find more:
Table I.3
16
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
US remains the leading
commercial services trader
• The United States remained the world’s largest trader of commercial services
in 2011 with US$ 976 billion of trade, making a surplus of US$ 186 billion.
The United Kingdom, which ranked third with US$ 444 billion, recorded also
a surplus of US$ 103 billion. Both the United States and the United Kingdom
have recorded a surplus in services every year since the 1980s.
• Germany, the second-largest services trader with US$ 542 billion of trade,
recorded a deficit of US$ 36 billion in 2011.
I WORLD TRADE DEVELOPMENTS
• Among the leading emerging economies, China remained a net services
importer in 2011, while India registered a positive balance, with the value of
exports exceeding imports.
Leading traders in commercial
services, 2011
581
United States
395
186
253
289
Germany
-36
274
United Kingdom
170
Largest traders in
commercial services
103
182
China
237
-54
US$ 976 bn
167
143
France
23
United States
142
166
Japan
-23
US$ 542 bn
137
124
India
13
Germany
134
118
Netherlands
15
US$ 444 bn
109
114
Ireland
-5
United Kingdom
105
114
Italy
-9
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
US$ BILLION
EXPORTS
IMPORTS
BALANCE
Where to find more:
Table I.9
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
17
US service supply through
affiliates to emerging
economies on the rise
• Services supplied by US majority-owned foreign affiliates to China and
India proved more resilient to the global crisis than exports of crossborder services.
• In 2009, US exports of commercial services to India decreased by
4 per cent. However, services supplied to India through commercial
presence (i.e. through US majority-owned foreign affiliates established
in India) rose by 34 per cent. Similarly, in China services supplied by US
majority-owned foreign affiliates grew by 25 per cent, while exports of
commercial services grew by only 2 per cent.
• In contrast, services supplied through US majority-owned foreign
affiliates to Europe and North America declined, following the same
pattern as cross-border exports.
US services supplied to China and
India, 2004-09
Growth of US services
supply through
affiliates in 2009
US$ BILLION
25
34%
20
25%
10
in India
in China
15
5
0
2004
2005
CHINA (FATS)
Where to find more:
Tables I.15 and I.26
18
Download the data:
www.wto.org/statistics
2006
CHINA (BOP)
2007
2008
INDIA (FATS)
2009
INDIA (BOP)
BOP: Exports of commercial services as measured in the balance of payments
(modes 1, 2 and 4).
FATS: Outward foreign affiliates statistics (mode 3).
World Trade Organization
International Trade Statistics 2012