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Visualizing the World’s Digital Trade Exports
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Over the past decade, exports of digital services have risen faster than goods and services trade by a wide margin.
From media streaming to IT support, these international sales are largely facilitated through online platforms. Given their ability to access global markets, digital service exports surged by over 50% between 2019 and 2023.
This graphic shows the value of global digitally delivered services, based on data from the World Trade Organization.
A Closer Look at the Digital Service Export Market
As business and consumer behaviours evolve, so has the composition of global trade.
Increasingly, more services are being delivered across borders through digital channels. In 2023, they made up 13.8% of the total world share, reaching $42.4 billion.
| Digital Service | 2023 Export Value (USD) | Share of Global Total |
|---|---|---|
| Computer services | $8.7B | 20.5% |
| Financial services | $6.8B | 16.0% |
| Intellectual property related services | $4.6B | 10.9% |
| Insurance services | $2.2B | 5.2% |
| Telecommunications services | $1.1B | 2.6% |
| Audio-visuals and other personal, cultural, and recreational services | $0.9B | 2.1% |
| Information services | $0.6B | 1.5% |
| Other business services | $17.5B | 41.2% |
| Total | $42.4B | 100% |
The largest export category is computer services, valued at $8.7 billion, encompassing cloud computing, web design, and video game platforms.
For example, Amazon’s cloud platform serves clients in over 200 countries, while WordPress Engine provides web hosting for more than two million websites globally. Moreover, the PlayStation Network operates in 73 regions, with its monthly active users more than doubling in the past 10 years.
As we can see, digitally delivered financial and insurance services make up a significant share of global exports. These include services such as online banking, accounting services, and financial advice. Together, they account for more than 20% of digital service exports.
Meanwhile, media streaming services such as Netflix, Spotify, and other entertainment platforms comprised just 2.1% of total exports. Following behind are information service exports, such as digital news subscriptions, making up just 1.5% of the global share.
Looking ahead, digital services will likely continue to play an important role in international trade across industries as a growing share of transactions involve cross border sales.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on the top export market for G20 economies.