The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have released an expanded dataset on trade in services, encompassing over 200 economies. The data provides insights into regional trade flows of digitally deliverable services.
In Europe, 62% of these exports were directed to economies within the region. In contrast, North America exported 82% of its digitally deliverable services to markets outside the region. Similar patterns were observed in regions such as the Middle East, South and Central America and the Caribbean, and Africa, which also focused on external markets.
Digitally deliverable services include financial and insurance services, telecommunications, computer and information services, other business services, charges for intellectual property use not elsewhere included (n.i.e.), as well as personal, cultural, and recreational services like audiovisual content.
An analysis revealed that Africa's exports of computer services to Europe increased from 47.6% in 2019 to 51.4% in 2023. Regionalization trends were also noted in Asia, North America, South and Central America and the Caribbean during this period but were less significant.
Additionally, BaTIS data highlights exports of "other business services," covering various professional management and technical fields from Small Vulnerable Economies (SVEs). In 2023, SVE exports primarily targeted major markets such as the United States (14%), the United Kingdom (12%), and Japan (8%).
The BaTIS dataset is available for download. It includes reported bilateral data by economies; reported data with adjustments for gaps; and final balanced values reconciling asymmetrical export-import figures.