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.