The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its report titled Global Trade Update – September 2026 that services have increased their weight in global production and trade.
Services exports accounted for 23% of global exports in 2015 and rose to 27% in 2025. Global services exports grew by an average of approximately 6.7% annually over the past decade and increased by 8.3% in 2025.
Digital services' share rises to 56%
The expansion of digital platforms, advances in cloud computing and improved connectivity infrastructure in some regions supported the growth of digitally deliverable services. Trade in these services increased by an average of 7.1% annually over the past decade, reaching 56% of total global services exports.
Digitally deliverable services include insurance and pensions, finance, telecommunications, computer and information services, research and development, professional and management consulting, as well as architectural, engineering, scientific and technical services.
Gap between countries widens
Digital services accounted for approximately 61% of total services exports in developed economies, while the share remained at 16% in least developed countries. Traditional sectors such as transport and travel remained dominant in the services exports of least developed countries, while developed and an increasing number of developing economies shifted toward knowledge-intensive and high-value-added services.
Total services exports from least developed countries grew by an average of 3% annually over the past decade. Their share of global services exports declined from less than 1% in 2010 to 0.6% in 2025.
The report said that developing reliable and affordable connectivity infrastructure, facilitating cross-border data and payment flows, investing in digital skills and establishing a predictable regulatory environment are necessary to benefit more from digital services trade.
Warning over inequality in artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence could increase productivity and innovation in services and reduce the costs of producing and delivering digital services. However, the concentration of advanced infrastructure, high computing capacity, data, capital and skilled labor in a limited number of countries and companies could deepen existing digital inequalities, the report warned.
The average score of developed economies on the AI Readiness Index was calculated at 0.65, compared with 0.41 for developing economies and 0.31 for least developed countries. Fewer than one-third of developing countries were said to have a national artificial intelligence strategy.
Erdem Erkul, chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Board's Digital Technologies Business Council, said that products in many sectors, from automotive and energy to healthcare and logistics, are offered together with software, data, design, financing, consulting and after-sales services. Erkul said countries' competitiveness would be determined not only by their production volumes but also by the technology and services added to goods.
Erkul said developing countries needed to invest in fast, secure and affordable digital infrastructure, improve their digital skills and facilitate cross-border payment systems. He said companies needed support to take the technologies they develop to international markets, scale them up and turn them into global brands.
Erkul said artificial intelligence could offer developing countries export opportunities in areas such as software development, customer service, finance, healthcare, education, energy and logistics. He added that the concentration of data, financing, skilled human resources and computing capacity in a limited number of countries could widen the digital divide.
Erkul said Türkiye's industrial infrastructure offered a development and implementation base for artificial intelligence companies, adding that solutions developed for quality control, energy management and maintenance processes in factories could be taken to international markets.
