Global Trade Just Hit $13.7 Trillion, Thanks to AI

Keypoints:

• • Global goods trade hit roughly $13.7 trillion in the first half of 2026
  • That's up 12.5% from the same period last year
  • Services trade grew 10.5% over the same stretch
  • Critical minerals trade jumped 38%, semiconductors 25%
  • Some of the increase reflects higher prices, not just higher volume

The world traded more goods and services in the first half of 2026 than almost any comparable stretch on record, and one technology category is doing a disproportionate share of the pulling.

According to a new UN Trade and Development report, global goods trade reached approximately $13.7 trillion in the first half of 2026, up 12.5% from the same period in 2025. Services trade grew 10.5% right alongside it, putting the year on pace for a genuine record. 

Worth being upfront about, a real chunk of that jump comes from higher prices rather than pure volume growth, with traded goods prices climbing roughly 3.6% in the first quarter and about 5% in the second.

Even with that caveat, the underlying demand story holds up. AI infrastructure and digital technology demand pushed trade in critical minerals up 38% and semiconductors up 25%, making tech-linked goods some of the fastest-growing categories in the entire global economy right now. 

East Asia, led by China and South Korea, drove most of the overall growth, while trade among developing economies outside that region actually shrank over the same period, a split worth keeping an eye on as the year goes on.