Economic Parameters

Global trade flows

International trade is closely linked to the global economy, which is why it also took a sharp turn for the worse in 2009. The downturn was particularly noticeable in European and American imports. By contrast, the Asia Pacific region, which makes up more than two-thirds of all international trade, did not suffer as greatly from the financial crisis. Global trade volumes fell approximately 7%. There have been recent indications that trade could see moderate growth in 2010, however. Asia is expected to remain a global growth engine and continue to play a key role in this growth in the future.

Trade volumes: compound annual growth rate 2008 −2009
Exports/Imports		Africa	Asia Pacific	Europe	Latin America	Middle East	North America
Africa	%	2.1	3.2	−10.9	−11.5	−4.2	−5.7
Asia Pacific	%	2.0	−2.1	−12.6	−8.7	−6.2	−14.6
Europe	%	0.2	−6.5	−10.8	−11.9	−8.9	−11.0
Latin America	%	2.3	5.1	−10.0	−6.6	−1.8	−12.7
Middle East	%	3.2	−6.2	−10.9	−11.8	−5.8	−6.6
North America	%	−8.3	−6.5	−17.6	−11.3	−12.4	−11.9