The trade value affected by import restrictions in G20 economies increased fourfold over the past year, marking the largest surge in the history of the WTO’s trade monitoring exercise, according to the latest report on trade measures in the G20, issued today by the World Trade Organization.
Between mid-October 2024 and mid-October 2025, new trade restrictions, primarily tariffs, impacted G20 merchandise imports worth USD 2,599 billion, or 14.3 per cent of their total. This is more than four times the USD 599 billion recorded in the preceding period. Including similar measures on exports, a total of 185 measures affect trade valued at approximately USD 2,900 billion.
Despite the sharp increase in restrictive measures, the report highlights a significant counter-trend: G20 economies also introduced a large number of new trade-facilitating measures, which nearly doubled in value terms.
- G20 economies introduced 184 trade-facilitating measures on goods, covering trade estimated at USD 2,055 billion—almost double the USD 1,070 billion recorded in the previous report.
- In services, more than two-thirds of the 52 new measures introduced were aimed at facilitating trade.
Commenting on the findings, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “Even as the global trading system endures the most severe disruptions in 80 years, trade is showing considerable resilience as most WTO members continue to trade normally with each other. This latest monitoring report gives us new figures to illustrate the realities on the ground. We see protectionist measures affecting a substantially higher share of world trade. At the same time, we see a lot of trade-facilitating measures, reflecting a desire by members to reduce trade costs even as barriers rise elsewhere. It’s welcome that we see ongoing dialogue instead of escalating retaliation. WTO members should seize this moment to put trade on firmer footing by reforming and repositioning the WTO.”
Key Findings from the Report
The report underscores the accelerating growth of trade restrictions:
- Stockpile of Restrictions: The accumulated stockpile of restrictive import measures has sharply increased. The share of G20 imports affected by all measures introduced since 2008 has jumped from 12.9 per cent a year ago to 22.0 per cent (USD 4,015 billion), now affecting 16.9 per cent of world imports.
- Trade Remedy Actions: Trade remedy investigations averaged 28.5 per month, a slight decrease from the previous year but in line with 2020 levels. These actions, particularly anti-dumping measures, remain a key trade policy instrument, accounting for 55.2 per cent of all trade measures on goods.
- Support Measures: G20 economies introduced an increased number of general and economic support measures, often linked to key sectors such as the environment, energy, and agriculture, signaling a shift toward non-financial interventions for broader strategic policy objectives.
- Ongoing Dialogue: The report notes increased dialogue among trading partners and ongoing efforts within WTO committees to address trade concerns and negotiate solutions, with members generally favouring dialogue over escalating retaliation.
Outlook: WTO economists estimate world merchandise trade growth at 2.4% in 2025 and 0.5% in 2026. The stronger-than-expected growth in the first half of 2025 was driven by import frontloading, robust demand for AI-related products, and continued trade growth among most WTO members, especially developing economies.
