PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/614 
1 September 2010 
(10-4542) 
TRADE STATISTICS 2010 
Trade value still up by about 25% in the first half of 2010 
The value of world merchandise trade rose around 25% in the first six months of 2010 up strongly 
from the same period of 2009. This surge in trade growth marks a continuation of the trend begun  
in  the first quarter of the year, according to WTO figures released on 1 September 2010. 
 World merchandise exports increased by about 7% in the second quarter of 2010, in comparison 
with the first quarter (“quarter on quarter”)
1. Within that period, available monthly statistics for 
about 70 economies representing about 90% of worl d trade show that merchandise trade declined 
in April and May 2010, then rose again in June. 
Chart 1: World merchandise exports, first quarter 2007 to second quarter 2010 
Indices, first quarter 2005=100 
020406080100120140160180200
07Q1
08Q1
09Q1
10Q1
 
                                               
1 WTO short-term merchandise trade values are not seasonally adjusted. Seasonal patterns therefore 
considerably affect the quarter on quarter (Q-o-Q) and month on month (M-o-M) developments in 
world trade, and this in turn affects comparison s between the trade developments in individual 
regions and economies.  
Furthermore, these data refer to “current” US dollars, i.e., they are not adjusted for changes in 
prices. Therefore, they cannot be compared with the annual trade growth figures headlined in the 26 
March 2010 press release (http://www.wto.org/en glish/news_e/pres10_e/pr598_e.htm). Those 
headline figures use “constant” dollars, with inflation taken into account. PRESS/614 
Page 2 of 3 
 
 
 Chart 2: Monthly merchandise trade, aggregate of 70 economies 
Indices, January 2008=100 
60708090100110120130
Jan08
Mar
Sept
Jan09
Mar
Sept
Jan10
MarExports
Imports
 
Overview of regional trade flows 
Asian exports and imports both rose by more than 35% in the second quarter of 2010, as 
compared to the corresponding period of 2009. Exports from Africa and the Middle East were 35% 
higher than in the corresponding period of 2009, fu elled by demand in Asia and the US, and higher 
commodity prices. 
 
The Commonwealth of Independent States (former members of the Soviet Union) posted a buoyant 44% export growth. Similarly, extra-EU tr ade (external trade between the EU and the rest 
of the world) was more dynamic than trade within the EU. 
Table 1: World merchandise trade by region and selected economies, Apr-Jun 
2010 
Percentage change in current US dollar s, year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter 
Exports      Imports  
Y-o-Y Q-o-Q     Y-o-Y Q-o-Q 
26 7   World (a) 25 6 
28 7   North America 32 12 
25 6    United States 32 12 
32 7    Canada 30 10 
24 16   South and Central America 36 13 
29 27    Brazil 56 12 
13 0   Europe 15 0 
13 0    European Union (27) (b) 14 0 
11 –2     intra EU 11 –2 
17 5     extra EU 21 3 
44 10   Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 27 26 
43 6    Russian Federation 33 28 
35 1   Africa and the Middle East 10 1 
37 15   Asia (a) 38 10 
41 23    China 44 15 
32 –1    India 33 3 
41 5    Japan 35 5 
37 12   Six East Asian traders (c) 43 9 
a Includes significant re-expor ts or imports for re-exports. 
b “Intra EU” is trade within the EU; “extra EU” is trade between the EU and non-EU economies. 
c Hong Kong, China (excluding re-export trade), Republic  of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taipei, Chinese, and 
Thailand. PRESS/614 
Page 3 of 3 
 
 
  
Chart 3: Commodity price develo pments, second quarter 2010 
Percentage change 
- 1 001 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0All prim ary
commoditiesFood and
beveragesMetalsEnergyCrude petroleum
yoy
qoq
 
Source: IMF 
 
 
More data are available on the WTO website’s “short-term merchandise trade statistics” page: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/st atis_e/quarterly_ world_exp_e.htm . The previous release is 
here: http://www.wto.org/english/ne ws_e/pres10_e/pr604_e.htm   
 
END