Trade measures
The WTO Trade Monitoring Exercise is a factual, non-legal exercise that provides transparency regarding new trade and trade policy related measures. As from 2024, one Trade Monitoring Report is circulated every year, normally in November, allowing WTO Members to undertake an interactive peer review in the Trade Policy Review Body at the WTO Headquarters. The Report is developed in close cooperation with WTO Members and cover trade measures implemented in the areas of goods, services, and intellectual property. They also provide up-to date accounts on other issues, including trade remedies, SPS, TBT, agriculture and environment.
Trade Monitoring outreach programme
The Secretariat offers training and briefings to interested WTO Members, Observers or group of Members/Observers under its Trade Monitoring outreach programme, to further facilitate their participation in the trade monitoring exercise. Delegations are encouraged to take advantage of the programme offered by the Secretariat, upon request.
If you are interested please contact the Trade Monitoring Section here: tprd-monitoring@wto.org.
Measures on Goods
Since 2009 the WTO Trade Monitoring Exercise has provided WTO Members with regular updates on the latest trends in the implementation of a broad range of policy measures that affect the flow of trade. Although the monitoring of trade measures is a continuous exercise throughout the year, the description of the actual trends as well as the more general update on the state of global trade take place in the WTO-wide Trade Monitoring Reports which are circulated twice a year. As such, the methodology section applies to these Reports.
Measures in Services
WTO Members have introduced several trade in services measures that have been captured by the trade monitoring exercise since October 2015, some horizontal in nature and some affecting specific services sectors. While most of these measures have provided for additional liberalization or otherwise facilitated services trade, a number of them appeared to be trade restrictive.
Intellectual Property Measures
WTO Members implemented a variety of measures to modernize their intellectual property (IP) regimes and streamline IP and trade in knowledge into their economies. Intellectual property measures have been captured by the trade monitoring exercise since October 2015.
COVID-19 and world trade
The COVID-19 and world trade webpage provides information on COVID-19 measures implemented by WTO Members and Observers related to trade in goods, services and intellectual property. It also includes support measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and communicated by WTO Members and Observers to the Secretariat. This information has been compiled by the WTO Secretariat and is an informal situation report and an attempt to provide transparency with respect to measures taken in the context of the pandemic. These lists of measures are not exhaustive and are updated regularly by the WTO Secretariat.
Highlights from last report
discussed by the WTO Members on 02/12/2025
Recent reports
Large increase in new tariffs but also measures to ease global trade, WTO report shows
02/12/2025
The value of global goods imports affected by new tariffs and other import measures increased more than fourfold from mid-October 2024 to mid-October 2025 compared to the prior 12-month period, marking the highest coverage in over 15 years of WTO trade monitoring, according to the WTO Director-General's latest annual overview of developments in the international trading environment. At the same time, WTO members introduced trade-facilitating measures on both imports and exports, covering one-and-a-half times more trade than the previous period, and were pursuing dialogue more than retaliation.
Increase in trade restrictions against backdrop of unilateral policies
11/12/2024
The WTO Director-General's annual overview of global trade developments shows a sharp rise in the coverage of trade-restrictive measures by WTO members between mid-October 2023 and mid-October 2024, compared to the last Trade Monitoring Report in November 2023. While the report, presented at an 11 December meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB), also points to WTO members’ introduction of a substantial number of trade-facilitating measures, there is increasing evidence of inward-looking trade policies which could generate further uncertainty for the world economy.
Goods measures
Last reporting period: 16/10/2024 - 15/10/2025
Next reporting period: 16/10/2025 - 15/05/2026