A UNCTAD report has noted strong but increasingly uneven expansion of global trade in H1 2026, with goods trade being worth $13.7 trillion—up by 12.5 per cent YoY.
A large share of the rise reflects higher prices rather than stronger trade volumes.
Trade growth may stay positive but more uneven, with gains in selected sectors and regions offset by geopolitical tensions, policy uncertainty and trade costs.
Prices of traded goods increased by about 3.6 per cent YoY in the first quarter (Q1) this year and is estimated to have risen by about 5 per cent YoY in Q2, largely reflecting higher energy and selected commodity prices.
East Asian economies recorded the strongest trade growth in Q1 2026, with both developed and developing economies in the region expanding at rates well above the global average. China and the South Korea recorded particularly strong goods trade, while the rest of Asia experienced slower growth.
Africa and the Americas registered import growth above the global average but comparatively weaker export performance.
Geopolitical uncertainty continued to drive the reconfiguration of global supply chains and trade relationships, leading to shifts in bilateral trade patterns and greater diversification of trading partners, the UNCTAD report said.
Global trade growth is expected to remain positive but increasingly uneven, with gains in selected sectors and regions offset by rising geopolitical tensions, policy uncertainty and trade costs, it remarked.
Renewed trade tensions, persistent risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and continued geoeconomic fragmentation are expected to raise trade costs and contribute to increasingly uneven trade performance across regions and sectors, it added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
