Environment and related trade

In 2025, international trade in ocean goods amounted to $1.03 trillion and in ocean services $1.53 trillion, summing up to just over $2.5 trillion in total (abstracting from certain transactions that may be counted in both domains). Alongside well-known ocean sectors such as international marine and coastal tourism (34% of trade in ocean goods and services) and maritime freight transport (19%), ships and port equipment (16%) and high-technology and other manufactures (16%) represented a large share of total ocean trade, where the latter sector comprises ocean products used in fishing, pharmaceuticals, marine sports, clean energy and electrical equipment.

In 2025, global exports of ocean-related services grew by 5%, with the strongest growth recorded in Africa (+16%). Exports of marine and coastal tourism increased by 8%, exports of maritime passenger transport by 7%, whereas international sales of freight services remained at the level of 2024. Exports of port services, related infrastructure and logistical services were some 4% higher in 2025 than in the previous year.

By 2024, international marine and coastal tourism fully recovered from its substantive drop (-70%) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

International trade in ocean-related goods reached $1 trillion in 2025. It was 7.8% higher than in 2024. The most dynamic sectors were ships and port equipment (+8.4%), marine fisheries and aquaculture (+7.9%) and sea minerals (+7.8%).

79% of global ocean goods trade is in manufactured products, notably ships and port equipment as well as high-technology and other manufactures (such as marine-based pharmaceuticals, sport equipment, precision instruments, integrated circuits and clean energy machinery).