Market access

World trade recorded its largest ever annual increase in 2010 as merchandise exports surged 14.5 per cent, buoyed by a 3.6 per cent recovery in global output as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) . Both trade and output grew faster in developing economies than in developed ones. Exports in volume terms (i.e. in real terms, accounting for changes in prices and exchange rates) were up 13 per cent in developed economies while the increase for developing economies was nearly 17 per cent. The difference between trade of developed and developing economies was even greater on the import side, where developed economies’ imports rose by 11 per cent compared with 18 per cent in the rest of the world.

The World Tariff Profiles is a joint publication of the WTO, ITC and UNCTAD devoted to market access for goods. This statistical yearbook contains a comprehensive compilation of the main tariff parameters for each of the 161 WTO members plus other countries and customs territories where data is available. Each tariff profile presents information on tariffs imposed by each economy on its imports complemented with an analysis of the market access conditions it faces in its major export markets.