International trade

All main services categories witnessed a solid expansion of their international trade in 2025, except transport, of which exports grew by modest 2.8% amidst tariff changes and disruptions on main transport routes. Telecommunications, computer, and information services continued their robust growth – by over 11% annually for a third consecutive year – riding on important demands for new technologies. Insurance, financial and other business services exports gained 9.3% in 2025, reflecting a trend towards trade in digitally deliverable products.

In 2025, international trade in digitally deliverable products continued increasing strongly, marking a 10% annual rise, as in the previous year. Three quarters of digitally deliverable exports, worth about $4.1 trillion, originated from developed economies, while the developing world exported an estimated $1.3 trillion in 2025. Developed economies' exports rose by 9%, while those of developing economies registered a 12% growth. Among developing economies, the gap between a relatively small number of more successful exporters and others that struggle to increase their market share has widened.

Digitally deliverable international trade has been on a sustained rise since 2010 and was further boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digitally deliverable trade covers products that can be delivered remotely over computer networks. All digitally delivered products are services, according to international trade measurement standards.

Travel and transport remain the categories of services that African economies export most. In 2025, they accounted for over 62% of their services sold abroad. In Latin America and the Caribbean, their share was slightly lower (58%). In the developing economies of Asia and Oceania, services exports were more diversified across categories, with travel and transport representing 46% of total services exports. 

Services exports from developed economies were dominated by knowledge-intensive services, such as insurance, financial, telecommunication, computer, information, other business services and intellectual property charges, most of which can be digitally traded, accounting for just over 60% of their total services exports.