According to an OECD statistical report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Fourth Quarter 2025 International Trade Statistics Report, which is focused on the slowdown of global trade developments among G20 countries in its final quarter of 2025, has mixed results in G20 economies’ merchandise trade but has seen modest growth in service trade. In the fourth quarter of 2025, G20 nations’ merchandise trade had mixed results, as G20 merchandise exports increased by only 0.9% and G20 merchandise imports decreased by only 0.5% when comparing quarterly exports and imports of the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2025.
While these quarterly results were mixed for G20 merchandise trade, there was increased activity on an annual basis, with total G20 merchandise exports increasing 5.3% for all G20 nations and total G20 merchandise imports increasing 1.2% for all G20 nations, indicating a recovery of global trade within G20 nations. In North America, exports from the United States and Canada were primarily driven by an increase in precious metals, while Mexico saw great growth in both imports and exports largely due to machinery and electrical equipment. Trade activity in South America showed increased exports for Brazil, driven by higher export volumes of both coffee and ores; exports from Argentina increased because of export volumes of petroleum oils, while imports from both countries decreased because of weak demand. The overall trend in trade activity within Europe experienced minor reductions in cross-border trade activity for four quarters.
There was a fall-off in both exports and imports in the European Union; the United Kingdom also experienced a slowdown in trading as well. In East Asia, China registered very moderate growth of exports, while significant drops were noted in imports. Japan experienced stability of exports and deterioration in imports. In quarter four of 2025, service trade internationally grew very modestly despite the recession, as movements within this sector will continue rising steadily through 2028, supporting continued expansion of global trade overall. According to the G20 report, service exports increased by 1.4% and service imports increased by 1.2%, with significant increases from China, Brazil, and India spurred by growth within their respective service sectors (travel, ICT, and business services).
Keywords- G20 trade, international trade, OECD report