Despite trade policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, it sees intensifying engagement in pursuit of negotiated solutions to trade-related differences.
The mid-year update points to a marked shift in the global trading environment in the review period, with new tariff measures in particular affecting a large amount of trade.
The value of global merchandise trade covered by new tariffs and other such measures implemented during the seven-month review period was estimated at $2,732.7 billion—more than triple the $887.6 billion in the 12-month period covered by the previous report, issued in late 2024.
This amount represents the highest level of trade coverage by such new measures recorded in one reporting period since the WTO secretariat started monitoring trade policy developments in 2009.
A total of 644 trade measures on goods were undertaken by WTO members and observers during the monitoring period.
Trade remedy initiations and terminations, such as anti-dumping measures, accounted for 296 of these measures. While they accounted for 46 per cent of trade measures introduced during the review period—the highest number of new investigations in over a decade, their total trade coverage was narrow.
Trade remedy investigations covered $63.9 billion in trade—down from $ 100 billion in the previous monitoring report, or 0.26 per cent of world merchandise trade. Meanwhile, trade remedy terminations covered $16.3 billion—up from $7.6 billion, or 0.07 per cent of world trade.
In addition, 141 other trade-related actions (including tariff increases and export restrictions) were recorded, as were 207 trade-facilitating measures, a WTO release said.
The trade coverage of the other trade-related actions implemented during the review period was estimated at $2,732.7 billion—up from $887.6 billion in the previous report. The increase was largely driven by a sharp rise in import tariffs.
About 83 per cent of this higher trade coverage, equivalent to $2,261.3 billion, is directly linked to trade policy developments since early 2025.
The trade coverage of trade-facilitating measures introduced during the review period was estimated at $1,038.6 billion—down from $1,440.4 billion in the previous report.
The stockpile of tariff increases and other such import measures in force has grown steadily since 2009, when the WTO secretariat began monitoring. At the end of May 2025, the value of trade covered by such measures was estimated at $4,604.1 billion, representing 19.4 per cent of world imports. This represents an increase of 6.9 percentage points from 12.5 per cent at the end of 2024.
Economic support measures, such as subsidies, stimulus packages, state aid or export incentives, have remained a key component of industrial policies. However, since April 2025, as trade barriers have risen, the relative use of direct support measures has declined and has been overtaken by regulatory tools.
Initially focused on economic objectives, these support measures have increasingly shifted toward broader objectives, such as climate change mitigation, security of supply and national security, the update added.
ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)
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