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Asia ships 43% of the world's goods; Africa under 3%

Original title: Share of global merchandise exports · Our World in Data · 31 Jul 2026

What does the data say about share of global merchandise exports?

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Original chart: Our World in Data

So what

The centre of gravity of goods trade is now Asia, with Europe second largely thanks to intra-EU trade. North America, despite its economic weight, ships only about a tenth of world goods, and Africa and the least developed countries barely register. Developing regions now ship nearly half of global exports, a decisive shift for sourcing and market-entry strategy.

Data sources
UNCTAD; WTO; UN SDG database (indicator 17.11.1)
Authors
Our World in Data
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