Large increase in new tariffs but also measures to ease global trade, WTO report shows

Imports worldwide worth USD 2,640 billion, or 11.1 per cent of total imports, were affected primarily by tariffs along with other trade measures introduced between mid-October 2024 and mid-October 2025 - more than four times the USD 611 billion coverage recorded in the preceding period. Including similar measures on exports, the total trade affected was worth about USD 2,966 billion (more than three times the USD 888 billion recorded in the previous report).

Over the same period, WTO members and observers also introduced a large number of new trade-facilitating measures on goods - 331 in total - covering trade estimated at USD 2,090 billion (approximately 1.5 times higher than the USD 1,441 billion recorded in the last report).

"The sharp jump in the trade coverage of tariffs reflects the increased protectionism we have seen since the start of the year. Nearly a fifth (19.7 per cent) of world imports are now affected by tariffs and other such measures introduced since 2009 - compared to 12.6 per cent only a year ago," noted WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. "At the same time, we see members acting to facilitate trade and engaging in dialogue rather than retaliation. This speaks to the value they continue to see in maintaining smooth cross-border trade flows. WTO members should use the current trade disruptions to advance long-overdue reforms of the WTO. Members have an opportunity to tackle some of the underlying concerns linked to recent unilateral measures, while repositioning the WTO to better help them seize exciting new trade opportunities." Her remarks are available here.

WTO economists estimate world merchandise trade growth at 2.4 per cent in 2025 and at 0.5 per cent in 2026, with stronger-than-expected trade growth in the first half of 2025 driven by import frontloading, strong demand for AI-related products, and continuing trade growth among most WTO members, particularly developing economies.

During the review period, WTO members initiated 32.3 trade remedy investigations per month -just below the 2024 peak of 37.3 per month. While trade remedy investigations do not necessarily lead to the imposition of measures, a higher number of initiations of investigations often signals a potential increase in measures imposed. The average number of trade remedy terminations was 11.4 per month - amongst the lowest level since 2012, suggesting that many trade remedy actions remain in place. Trade remedy actions - particularly anti-dumping measures - remain a key trade policy tool for many WTO members, accounting for 46.5 per cent of all trade measures on goods recorded in this report.

On services, WTO members introduced 124 new measures between mid-October 2024 and mid-October 2025, a level broadly consistent with recent years. Most were aimed at facilitating trade or improving regulatory frameworks. Over half of these measures were applied across most sectors. Of these, one half impacted services supply through commercial presence (also known as "mode 3") and around a quarter through the movement of professionals (known as "mode 4"). Additionally, a fifth of the new measures targeted the Internet and other network-enabled services.

During the review period, WTO members introduced an increased number of general economic support measures, many of which were linked to key sectors such as the environment, energy and agriculture. The report notes a possible shift toward non-financial interventions and the pursuit of broader strategic policy objectives.

WTO members continued to raise trade concerns in WTO committees and bodies throughout the review period, most of which related to measures or policies implemented by their peers. WTO committees remained important platforms for addressing trade-related issues, enabling members to engage on actual or potential areas of friction, the report finds.

"Overview of Developments in the International Trading Environment" reports on monitoring have been published continuously since 2009, pursuant to Paragraph G of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism mandate in Annex 3 to the WTO Agreement. Issued under the responsibility of the Director-General, these reports aim to assist the Trade Policy Review Body in analysing the impact of international trade developments on the multilateral trading system.