Nearly 80% of the world’s information and communications technology goods now originate from Asia, according to new trade data released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), underscoring the region’s overwhelming dominance in the backbone of the digital economy.
Key takeaways
- Asia produces nearly 80% of global ICT goods exports, with electronic components like chips and sensors driving growth while consumer electronics stagnate.
- Europe dominates ICT services exports with 57% market share, while Africa and Latin America combined account for just 2.5% of the $1.2 trillion global market.
- Developing countries risk permanent marginalization in digital trade without urgent investment in broadband infrastructure, digital skills, and supportive trade policies.
The findings, published on January 29, reveal that ICT products ranging from semiconductors to smartphones accounted for more than 12% of total global merchandise exports in 2024. This translates to over one dollar in every eight earned from international trade in goods coming from digital-enabling hardware.
Electronic Components Fuel Unprecedented Growth
The surge in digital trade has been primarily driven by electronic components, including microchips, circuit boards, and sensors, the invisible infrastructure powering everything from cloud computing and electric vehicles to renewable energy systems. Trade in these components has surged dramatically over the past 15 years, even as consumer electronics and other ICT products have stagnated.
“Electronic components are the invisible backbone of the digital economy,” UNCTAD stated in its analysis, emphasizing that countries capable of producing these components secure not only skilled jobs but also technology spillovers and more resilient export revenues.
The Digital Divide Deepens
While Asia’s manufacturing prowess continues to expand, the data exposes a stark global imbalance. Many developing economies remain confined to lower-value components or assembly operations, limiting their ability to capitalize on digital and energy transitions.
The disparity is even more pronounced in ICT services. Europe commanded 57% of the $1.2 trillion global ICT services export market in 2024, with Asia and Oceania capturing 33%. North America held 8%, while Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean combined accounted for a mere 2.5%, less than $30 billion.
Digital Delivery Reshapes Trade Landscape
Trade in digitally deliverable products, services that can be transmitted remotely over computer networks, including telecommunications, consulting, healthcare, education, and digital media, grew 10% in 2024, reaching 56% of all global services exports.
Developed economies dominated this sector, exporting approximately $3.8 trillion worth of digitally deliverable products compared to $1.2 trillion from developing nations.
“Digital delivery eliminates the need for physical proximity between service suppliers and consumers, lowering traditional barriers to services trade,” UNCTAD noted. However, this advantage comes with a caveat: dependence on digital connectivity and skills creates new obstacles for countries with weaker digital infrastructure.
A Call for Strategic Investment
UNCTAD’s analysis warns that without targeted investment in broadband infrastructure, digital skills development, data governance frameworks, and supportive trade policies, many developing countries risk being permanently sidelined as digital trade deepens.
“The imbalances between developed and developing countries highlight persistent gaps in digital capacity,” the report emphasized. “Countries that fail to invest in their digital ecosystems risk remaining marginal players in one of the fastest-growing segments of global trade.”
As technological change accelerates and global trade undergoes structural transformation, the data reveals not just economic statistics but deeper stories about opportunity, inequality, and the shifting geography of economic power in the digital age.UNCTAD’s analysis issues a critical warning: without targeted investment in broadband infrastructure, digital skills development, data governance frameworks, and supportive trade policies, many developing countries risk permanent marginalization in an increasingly digital global economy. The report emphasizes persistent gaps in digital capacity, urging countries to invest in their digital ecosystems to avoid being sidelined from one of the fastest-growing segments of global trade.
