Market access
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are due to all the data providers, mostly national administrations or WTO delegations who have made this information available including through notifications presented as special topic. In a number of cases, data has been made available on national websites or through regional organizations. Given the vast amount of statistical data and metadata that needed to be processed, and because this information is not available in one single organization, this publication was only possible as a joint effort of the WTO, ITC, and UNCTAD. Each of the three organizations has a proven track record and comparative strengths in the field of tariff analysis.
Foreword by the WTO Director-General
This year’s World Trade Report takes an in-depth fresh look at preferential trade. The choice of this topic reflects two significant trends in international trade relations, both of which carry far-reaching implications for the multilateral trading system. The first and most readily evident of these is the continuing growth and increasing prominence of preferential trade agreements (PTAs). In the last two decades, the number of PTAs has increased more than four-fold, to around 300 active agreements today. There is no reason to assume that PTAs will cease to grow in number or that they will not form part of the long-term tapestry of international trade relations. Secondly, the content of PTAs continues to evolve and deepen, reflecting important changes in the world economy. This too raises vital questions about the focus and reach of the WTO, and the value assigned by governments to globally-based trade relations.
General note and abbreviations
The statistics related to applied tariffs and imports are calculated using data which are based on the HS nomenclature adopted by the country for the reference year. For statistics on bound tariffs, the calculations are based on the approved schedule of concessions of the WTO member. In previous issues of World Tariff Profiles, each schedule is based on the HS version which the member used when it acceded to the WTO. Starting with the 2010 issue of this publication, bound tariff statistics are based on the approved schedule of concessions for each member in the most recent HS version. This might have some implications on the historical series of various bound tariff indicators affected by the use of a different nomenclature. While the member’s commitments have not changed as a result of the transposition, some aggregate statistics might have been affected as a consequence of the change to another HS version.
Prólogo
Perfiles arancelarios en el mundo es una publicación conjunta de la OMC, el ITC y la UNCTAD dedicada al acceso a los mercados para las mercancías. Este anuario estadístico contiene una amplia compilación de los principales parámetros arancelarios para cada uno de los 161 Miembros de la OMC, así como de otros países y territorios aduaneros. El perfil de cada país presenta información sobre los aranceles que cada economía impone a sus importaciones y se complementa con un análisis de las condiciones de acceso a los mercados en sus principales mercados de exportación.
Nota de agradecimiento
Queremos dar las gracias a todas las instituciones que han suministrado datos incluyendo las notificationes en los cuadros del tema especial, sobre todo a las administraciones nacionales o las delegaciones ante la OMC que han facilitado toda esta información. En algunos casos, los datos se han publicado en sitios Web nacionales o a través de organizaciones regionales. Dada la enorme cantidad de datos y metadatos estadísticos que ha sido necesario procesar, y debido a que esa información no se encuentra en una única organización, la presente publicación sólo ha sido posible como esfuerzo conjunto de la OMC, el ITC y la UNCTAD. Cada una de estas tres organizaciones posee una reconocida experiencia en actividades de análisis arancelario y una destacada pericia en la materia.