News

UNCTAD's Handbook of Statistics 2015 reveals that global trade in services grew by 5 per cent as merchandise trade stagnates and foreign direct investment falls.

Experts discuss the practical implications of the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and its impact over certain aspects of BioTrade, at a peer review meeting in Geneva on 24 November 2015.

​​The General Assembly of the United Nations has designated October 20th, 2015 as 'World Statistics Day' to acknowledge the importance of reliable, timely and impartial statistics in supporting evidence informed policy. 

Market potential for BioTrade goods is estimated at 141 billion USD, but complex standards and other non-tariff barriers prevent many small producers from taking advantage of market opportunities.

Estimates of global international trade for 2014 are published today jointly with WTO. These statistics cover annual and quarterly merchandise and services transactions - up to Q4 2014. Seasonally adjusted quarterly statistics are also available for the volume of international merchandise commerce.

The 'All Groups' commodity price index for 2014 fell by 6.1% compared with the 2013 annual average, reflecting the general downward trend in commodity prices.

​New UNCTAD data shows renewed growth in the trade of information, communication and technology (ICT) goods in 2013. However, whereas communication equipment and electronic components expanded, trade in consumer electronics and computers fell.

UNCTAD's new country profiles provide a basic snapshot of a country's economic and financial situation, facilitating convenient cross-country comparisons.

According to preliminary estimates by UNCTAD and WTO, in the third quarter of 2014, world exports of services grew by 4.7% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (balance-of-payments basis, current prices).