Commerce international

In another year of strong growth, world services exports surpassed $9.5 trillion in 2025, marking an 8% annual increase. While most other service categories enjoyed a solid rise, international trade of transport services increased by modest 2%, amidst tariff changes and transport-routes security considerations. International travel receipts grew in most regions. Estimates indicate that only Central and Southern Asia and Northern America did not witness an increase in travel receipts in 2025. Services other than transport and travel - most of which are digitally tradable - thrived across the world: globally, they marked a 10% annual rise, with all main world regions recording at least an 8% growth.

Region-wise, the highest growth of total services exports was estimated for Africa (14% in Northern Africa and 13% in Sub-Saharan Africa). The two regions enjoyed a solid increase of international transport and travel receipts. Exports of services other than transport and travel, as a group, also increased considerably, recording an estimated 10% and 16% rise for the Northern and Sub-Saharan region, respectively. 

As a group, developing economies are moving towards the SDG goal of capturing a higher market share in world services exports. However, removing their five leading exporters paints a gloomier picture for the group. Many developing economies lost market share over the last decade.

Digitally deliverable and knowledge-intensive services – such as financial, telecommunications, computer, professional, technical, audio-visual, or intellectual property related services – were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely driven by the rapid advancement of information technology and use or artificial intelligence. Those services enjoyed more rapid growth in recent years than transport and travel services on which many developing economies traditionally rely. 

With over $1.23 trillion worth of services exports in 2025, the United States of America remained the world leading exporter by a large margin, capturing some 13% of the global market. It was followed, at some distance, by the United Kingdom ($727 billion). Ireland ($566 billion) ranked third.

China, the leading exporter among developing economies, ranked fourth overall ($511 billion). The top five services exporters from the developing world were all Asian. It is estimated that they captured 16% of the global market in 2025 and accounted for 55% of developing economies' total services exports.

The world leading importers remained the United States of America and China ($895 and $624 billion, respectively).

In 2025, both Northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a strong growth of services exports: 14% and 13%, respectively. These were the highest relative growth rates registered across the main world regions. In Africa, exports grew steadily in all major service categories, including transport, which recorded a 12% rise. By contrast, transport exports growth was sluggish in other parts of the world, ranging from just over 3% in Oceania to -4% in Central and Southern Asia. The other principal services categories enjoyed a solid increase overall, albeit with mixed performance when zooming in on more detailed service categories.

Asian economies recorded a solid rise of total services exports in 2025: close to 10% in Central, South and Eastern Asia, while in Western Asia the growth stood at about 5%. A 5% rise was registered also for Latin America and the Caribbean; Northern America witnessed an increase in exports of 6%. Oceania's exports gained about 8% and European economies 9%.