Trade in goods between G20 countries grew in 2025, driven by an increase in exports of 5.3% compared to 2024, while imports registered a more moderate increase of 1.2%, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced this Tuesday, 24th.
In parallel, OECD estimates point to more robust expansionism in trade in services, with exports and imports also growing 8.2% throughout the year.
Analyzing the fourth quarter of 2025 in current dollar terms, the OECD points to heterogeneous developments: G20 merchandise exports increased by 0.9% compared to the previous quarter, while imports fell by 0.5%.
Trade in services experienced moderate growth in this period, with exports rising 1.4% and imports 1.2%.
Quarterly developments varied substantially between economies.
In the European Union, both exports and imports of goods fell (−0.4% and −1.2%, respectively), with Germany registering only reduced movements in trade flows.
France increased its exports by 2%, mainly in mechanical and electrical equipment and ICT products, but imports fell by 2.3%, partly due to lower purchases of pharmaceuticals and energy.
The United Kingdom saw declines on both sides (exports −1.3%; imports −3%), reflecting a contraction in imports of oil, transport material and pharmaceuticals.
In North America, exports rose in the United States (+3.1%) and Canada (+2.5%), benefiting mainly from the shipment of non-monetary gold and other precious metals, while imports decreased slightly. In Asia, Chinese exports grew 0.7%, but imports fell 1.7%.
Regarding services, among the G7 economies, United States exports increased by 1.4%, driven by intellectual property products, ICT and business services. North American imports increased by 1.9%, supported by expenses on travel and other business services.
Germany recorded a 1.2% drop in services exports and a 1.2% increase in imports, the latter strongly influenced by higher spending on travel.
France recorded reductions in exports and imports of services (−2.4% and −1.9%).
Finally, China stood out with strong gains in services exports in the quarter (8.2%) and an increase in imports of 3%, with travel and ICT supporting performance.
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