The World Trade Organization sharply lowered its forecast for the growth of global merchandise trade in 2026 to 0.5 percent, due to the expected delayed effects of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. This revision marks a major drop from its previous August estimate of 1.8 percent.
For 2025, the organization raised its forecast for global trade growth to 2.4 percent, up from 0.9 percent, mainly driven by increased U.S. imports ahead of tariff hikes, in addition to growth in trade of goods related to artificial intelligence.
Trump’s tariff-related decisions since taking office in January have shocked financial markets and triggered a wave of uncertainty in the global economy.
