Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live, work, produce and trade. As it further develops, AI is expected to unlock unprecedented economic and societal opportunities. However, it is also a source of significant risks and challenges. This report examines the intersection of AI and international trade. It discusses how AI may shape the future of international trade by reducing trade costs, improving productivity and expanding economies' comparative advantages. The report reviews some key trade policy considerations, in particular the urgent need to address the growing AI divide between economies and between large and small firms, as well as data governance and intellectual property issues. It examines how to guarantee the trustworthiness of AI without hindering trade. The report also provides an overview of domestic, regional and international government initiatives to promote and regulate AI, and highlights the resulting risk of regulatory fragmentation. Finally, the report discusses the critical role of the WTO in facilitating AI-related trade, ensuring trustworthy AI and addressing emerging trade tensions, noting that the rapid evolution of AI is prompting questions about the implications of AI for international trade rules.

La pandémie de maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19) constitue une crise de santé publique mondiale extraordinaire. Elle a rendu nécessaire l'intensification de la coopération au niveau planétaire. Dès le début, elle a soulevé des questions à l'intersection entre la politique de santé publique, la politique commerciale ainsi que le cadre et la gestion de l'innovation, y compris pour ce qui est des droits de propriété intellectuelle. La deuxième édition de l'étude conjointe de l'OMS, de l'OMPI et de l'OMC intitulée "Promouvoir l'accès aux technologies médicales et l'innovation: Intersections entre la santé publique et la propriété intellectuelle et le commerce", publiée en 2020, contenait un encart spécial présentant les défis posés par la pandémie de COVID 19 par rapport au cadre intégré de politiques en matière de santé, de commerce et de PI établi dans l'étude. Cette mise à jour révise les renseignements figurant dans la dernière version, lancée en octobre 2021, à la lumière de la situation au 17 mai 2023.

World Tariff Profiles 2022 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in one-page profiles for each economy. A summary table on selected indicators on the imports and exports profile for these economies is also presented. Statistics on non‑tariff measures by country and by product group complement the data on tariffs. Under the special topics part, there are two technical papers. The first one analyses the preferential rules of origin in international trade and the second one focuses on non-tariff measures on “green” and “brown” energy products. The publication is jointly prepared by the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

World Tariff Profiles 2024 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in one-page profiles for each economy. A summary table on selected indicators on the imports and exports profile for these economies is also presented. Statistics on non tariff measures by economy and by product group complement the data on tariffs. This special topic deals with “Tariffs on critical minerals in the electric vehicle value chain”. The publication is jointly prepared by the World Trade Organization, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of increasingly frequent and more intense natural and man-made disasters raise important questions about the resilience of the global economy to such shocks. The World Trade Report 2021 explores the basic, binary assumption driving much of the current debate about economic resilience, namely the inherent trade-off between global trade interdependence and national economic security, and suggests that this can be a false dilemma. Due to its interconnected nature, international trade can increase an economy’s exposure to risks and contribute to the transmission of shockwaves. At the same time, it can bolster economic resilience, particularly when backed by domestic policies and effective global cooperation. As a driver of economic growth, trade can generate the resources and knowledge needed to prepare for crises. It can also help countries recover by facilitating the provision of goods and services needed to cope with a crisis. Policies aimed at increasing economic resilience by re-shoring production and unwinding trade integration ultimately reduce economic resilience. Conversely, trade diversification can contribute to economic resilience by allowing countries to be less dependent on a limited number of importers, exporters and sectors. The World Trade Report 2021 shows that a more open, inclusive and predictable trade environment is needed to promote diversification and contribute to economic resilience. The WTO already plays a key role in making economies more resilient by promoting lower trade barriers and greater transparency in trade policies. Further international cooperation at the WTO can strengthen the mutual supportiveness of trade openness and economic resilience so that the world is better prepared to deal with future crises.

The establishment of the multilateral trading system over seven decades ago was based on the understanding that interdependence and cooperation contribute to peace and shared prosperity. More recently, however, new challenges, such as geopolitical tensions, rising inequalities and climate change, have led to fears that globalization exposes countries to excessive risks. Such fears have increased pressures to unwind trading relationships and turn to unilateral policies through a process of fragmentation. This year’s World Trade Report examines the benefits of integration into world trade as well as the risks of fragmentation. It shows that trade has proved to be a source of security and peace, a driver of poverty reduction, and a critical tool for addressing climate change. The Report argues that, to make our economies more secure, inclusive and sustainable, re-globalization – or integrating more people, economies and pressing issues into global trade and strengthening multilateral cooperation – is a much more effective solution to global challenges than fragmentation. Global problems need global solutions, meaning that today’s world needs more cooperation, not less. A reinvigorated multilateral trading system overseen by the WTO has an important role to play in this process.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to lead to a new era of growth. By transforming how goods and services are produced, exchanged and consumed, AI can bring about substantial changes in the global economy. Yet the future trajectory of AI remains uncertain, raising critical questions about trade and inclusive growth. The World Trade Report 2025 explores the complex and fast-evolving relationship between AI and international trade and how this relationship can shape inclusive growth. AI offers new opportunities to reduce trade costs, boost productivity and expand access to global markets. In addition, trade can help to render AI more accessible by spreading knowledge, fostering innovation and promoting participation in AI value chains. However, unequal access across the world to digital infrastructure, appropriate skills and capabilities could increase the digital divide. Also, the impact of AI on the labour market presents additional challenges. Whether AI-enabled trade translates into broad-based, inclusive growth will depend on the design and implementation of trade and trade-related policies. WTO rules on trade in goods, services, data, intellectual property and public procurement can shape the availability, affordability and diffusion of AI. Complementary policies regulating competition, data infrastructure, energy, education and government support can also help to determine whether and how economies benefit from AI-enabled trade. The WTO can play a central role in ensuring that AI supports more inclusive trade-led growth by administering WTO rules, by fostering dialogue, transparency and capacity-building, and by deepening collaboration on AI and digital trade with other international organizations.

“World Trade Statistical Review” looks into the latest trends in global trade, with in-depth analysis of what is being traded and who the key players are. Analytical chapters are complemented by over 65 tables providing a detailed breakdown of the goods and services being traded and the leading exporters/importers.

The WTO is playing an important role in the achievement of the UN's Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and collaborates closely with the UN's Department for Economic and Social Affairs in monitoring progress in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2016, the WTO has submitted annual reports to the UN's High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on WTO efforts to achieve trade-specific targets in the SDGs. In its 2022 report, the WTO provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between trade and SDGs 4 (“quality education”), 5 (“gender equality”), 14 (“life below water”), 15 (“life on land”) and 17 (“partnerships for the Goals”), as well as the WTO’s role in contributing to the realisation of these five goals.

In brief, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.