Global imports of information and communications technology (ICT) goods grew by only 1% in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available, the lowest rate of growth compared to the preceding five years, newly released UNCTAD data show. Developing countries, and those countries changing from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, accounted for more than half (57%) of total global imports, which reached a value of $2.1 trillion.
Global imports of communications equipment and electronic components were the only two subsectors which grew slightly in 2014 – up 3% and 2% respectively – as compared to the previous year.
Global imports of consumer electronics, meanwhile, continued a four-year decline, falling 4% in 2014, while computers and peripheral equipment imports were flat. As a result, imports of communication equipment matched those of computers and peripheral equipment, each with an estimated global value of $520 billion.
In 2014, after many years, growth in Chinese exports and imports of ICT goods came to a halt.
Among the Top 10 importers of ICT goods, China and Singapore were the only economies with declining rates in 2014, down 4% and 3% respectively. By contrast, imports grew strongly into the Republic of Korea (up 11%), Hong Kong, China (up 9%) and Germany (up 8%). On the export side, there was zero growth for ICT goods from China, but Taiwan Province of China and Hong Kong, China maintained positive and significant growth rates.
Economies with the largest declines of ICT goods imports in 2014 included: Ukraine (down 34%), Argentina (down 23%), Paraguay (down 18%), Belarus (down 18%), Chile (down 17%), Kazakhstan (down 15%) and Hungary (down 13%).
The largest increases in ICT goods exports were noted for the Russian Federation (up 80%), the Philippines (up 40%), Latvia (up 30%), South Africa (up 25%), Poland (up 21%), Finland (up 13%) and Australia (up 12%).
In total, ICT goods accounted for 12% of world merchandise imports in 2014. This proportion ranged between 44% for Hong Kong, China, around 20 to 24% in China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore and less than 1% in Afghanistan and Mauritania.
Note: A complete dataset for 2000–2014 on trade in ICT goods can be accessed free of charge at http://stats.unctad.org/ict3ict4. Data for 123 economies are available, including by trading partner and by type of good traded. In the context of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, UNCTAD's ICT Analysis Section publishes data for several core indicators related to the information economy. This data series reflects the OECD definition of ICT goods and is based on the United Nations COMTRADE database.
