New tariffs surge accompanies steps to raise trade: WTO report on G20

At the same time, economies made trade easier by twice as much in value terms over this period, according to the WTO's latest report on trade measures in the G20.

G20 merchandise imports worth $2,599 billion, or 14.3 per cent of their total, were affected mostly by tariffs along with other measures introduced during the period—more than four times the $599 billion recorded in the preceding period.

Adding similar measures on exports, a total of 185 measures affect trade worth about $2,900 billion compared to $829 billion recorded in the previous G20 report.

Over the same period, G20 economies also introduced a large number of new trade-facilitating measures, and mostly refrained from retaliation, favouring dialogue and reducing trade barriers instead, a release from the WTO said citing the report.

G20 economies introduced 184 trade-facilitating measures on goods, covering trade estimated at $2,055 billion—nearly double the $1,070 billion recorded in the last report.

The stockpile of measures affecting imports had been steadily accumulating since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, but its size has now sharply increased: a year ago 12.9 per cent of G20 imports were affected ($2,353 billion or 9.9 per cent of world imports); that share has now jumped to 22.0 per cent ($4,015 billion or 16.9 per cent of world imports).

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 artificial intelligence-related products, and continuing trade growth among most WTO members, notably developing economies.

The new G20 report notes increased dialogue among trading partners and efforts to negotiate trade solutions.

During the review period, G20 economies initiated 28.5 trade remedy investigations per month on an average—less than the monthly average of 32.5 recorded in 2024, but close to the 2020 level of 28.6 per month.

The average number of trade remedy terminations was 9.3 per month, marking the third-lowest level since 2016. Trade remedy actions-particularly anti-dumping measures-remain a key trade policy instrument for most G20 economies, accounting for 55.2 per cent of all trade measures on goods recorded in this report.

During the period, G20 economies introduced an increased number of general and economic support measures, many of which were linked to key sectors like environment, energy and agriculture. The report notes a possible shift toward non-financial interventions and the pursuit of broader strategic policy objectives.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)