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- Services trade is the fastest-growing part of global trade, driven by digital services
- Developing countries, especially the poorest, face major gaps in access and capacity
- Better data, stronger skills and coordinated international support are key to closing the gap
GENEVA, Switzerland – At the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (26–29 March 2026, Yaoundé, Cameroon), services trade is widely seen as a driver of global growth, but more needs to be done to ensure it does not increase inequality.
Services now account for more than a quarter of global trade and have expanded at more than twice the pace of goods over the past decade. Digital services are growing even faster, reshaping how countries compete and connect to global markets.
Yet many developing economies are not keeping pace.
A widening digital divide in trade
In advanced economies, more than 60 percent of services exports are digitally delivered. In the poorest countries, that share is just 16 percent. This gap is widening in the very segment of trade that offers the greatest potential for diversification and higher-value activity.
“Services trade is expanding rapidly, but the countries that most need diversification are the least equipped to benefit,” said UN Trade and Development Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno. “That has real consequences. It limits the ability of young people-from Cameroon to Bangladesh to Rwanda-to connect their skills to global demand”, he stressed at the conference.
From data gaps to policy action
A key constraint is the lack of reliable data. Without clear information on what services are traded, by whom, and how they support the wider economy, countries struggle to design effective policies and build competitive sectors.
UN Trade and Development is working with partners, including the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, to address these gaps through practical tools. These include systems to improve services trade statistics, analytical frameworks to support national policies and strategies, and platforms that allow countries to share experience and solutions.
Priorities identified by member States include improving data collection and developing strategies to strengthen services exports and competitiveness.
A test for global trade cooperation
As ministers seek to strengthen the multilateral trading system, trade in services and digital trade are emerging as a key test of whether global cooperation can deliver tangible development outcomes.
For developing countries, the question is not whether services will shape the future of trade – but whether they will be equipped to take part in it.
