The volume of world merchandise trade increased modestly in the first quarter of 2015, with growth in both exports and imports registering slower growth than over the previous six months. According to preliminary estimates issued on 24 June by the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), world trade as measured by the average of exports and imports grew 0.7 per cent in the first three months of 2015, based on seasonally adjusted data.

World exports increased by 0.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year, down from the 2.1 per cent growth registered in the previous quarter. Imports grew by 0.9 per cent in the same period, down from 1.5 per cent in the previous quarter. 

Exports from developing and emerging economies rose 1.5 per cent in the first quarter, with all regions except Asia registering growth of 3 per cent or greater. In contrast, exports from developed countries fell by 0.5 per cent in the same period, with US exports decelerating by 4.5 per cent.

Developing and emerging economies increased their imports by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter, with South and Central America and the Caribbean registering strong import growth at 6.8 per cent. Developed economies increased their imports by 1.3 per cent, led by stronger import growth in Europe and North America. 

The quarterly merchandise trade volume indices are published simultaneously by both the WTO and UNCTAD at the WTO Statistics Web Portal and UNCTADStat.