MARKET ACCESS FOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF
EXPORT INTEREST
TO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT[1]
Contents
1 EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY. 4
2 INTRODUCTION.. 6
3 LDCs' TRADE DEVELOPMENTS IN 2020. 7
3.1
Merchandise Trade Values. 7
3.2
Merchandise Trade Volume and Outlook. 12
3.3
Services trade. 13
4 LDCs' TRADE PROFILE 2019. 18
4.1
Trends in Goods and Commercial Services. 18
4.2
Merchandise Trade Developments. 22
4.2.1
Overall trend. 22
4.2.2
Commodity price movements. 23
4.2.3
Major LDC traders. 24
4.2.4
Trends in product composition and concentration of LDCs. 25
4.2.5
Major markets of LDCs. 27
4.3
Services Trade Developments. 29
4.3.1
Overall trend. 29
5 MARKET ACCESS FOR PRODUCTS OF EXPORT
INTEREST TO LDCS. 32
5.1
Duty-free market access granted by selected Members. 32
5.2
Utilization of preferential market access granted to LDCs. 34
5.3
Recent initiatives to improve market access for LDCs. 36
ANNEX. 38
List of Tables
Table 1: Merchandise trade
volume and real GDP at market exchange rates, 2012-2021. 13
Table 2: Trends in LDC exports of goods and commercial
services, 2011-2019. 18
Table 3: LDCs and world trade in goods and commercial
services, 2011-2019. 21
Table 4: LDCs' top ten export markets, 2011 and 2019. 28
Table 5: Duty free market access under LDC schemes in
selected Members, 2018. 33
Table 6: Notifications under the LDC Services Waiver 37
List
of Charts
Chart 1: Imports of 97
economies from World and from LDCs, January 2019 to June 2020. 7
Chart 2: Imports of 97 economies from LDCs, January 2019 to
June 2020, by major product group 8
Chart 3: Imports of 97 economies from LDCs, March-June 2020
vs. March-June 2019. 9
Chart 4: Imports of 97 economies in agricultural products
from selected exporters. 10
Chart 5: Imports of 97 economies in fuels and mining products
from selected exporters. 11
Chart 6: Imports of 97 economies in clothing products from
selected exporters. 11
Chart 7: Merchandise trade volume of least-developed
countries, 2005Q1-2020Q2. 12
Chart 8: Travel exports in selected LDCs in Asia, Q1-Q2 2020. 14
Chart 9: China, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Australia –
Travel imports, August 2018- August 2020. 15
Chart 10: Travel exports in selected LDCs in Africa, Q1-Q2
2020. 15
Chart 11: Uganda's services and goods exports, August 2019 -
August 2020. 16
Chart 12: Evolution of LDC exports of goods and commercial
services, 2011-2019. 18
Chart 13: LDCs' total trade balance, 2011, 2018 and 2019. 19
Chart 14: Development in merchandise trade volume of LDCs and
developing economies, 2011-2019. 19
Chart 15: LDCs' shares in world exports, 2011-2019. 20
Chart 16: Merchandise trade of LDCs, 2011-2019. 22
Chart 17: Merchandise trade balance of LDCs, 2011-2019. 23
Chart 18: Merchandise exports of LDCs by sub-grouping,
2011-2019. 23
Chart 19: Export prices of primary commodities, 2011-2019. 24
Chart 20: Top ten LDC exporters and importers, 2011 and 2019. 25
Chart 21: Evolution of merchandise export structure of LDCs,
2011 and 2019. 26
Chart 22: Top ten products of LDC merchandise exports, 2011
and 2019. 27
Chart 23: LDCs' exports of commercial services, 2011-2019. 29
Chart 24: LDCs' exports of commercial services by category,
2011-2019. 30
Chart 25: LDCs' exports of commercial services by LDC region,
2011-2019. 30
Chart 26: Leading LDC exporters of commercial services, 2019
and 2011. 31
Chart 27: Imports from LDCs by duty category, 2018 (or latest
available year) 35
List of Annex
Tables
Annex Table 1: Exports,
imports and trade balance of LDCs during January-June 2020. 38
Annex Table 2: Change in exports of LDCs by destination
market, March-June 2020 vs. March-June 2019. 39
Annex Table 3: Merchandise exports and imports of LDCs by
selected country grouping, 2019 40
Annex Table 4: Indices of Market Prices for Non-Fuel and Fuel
Commodities, 2016‑2020 Q1. 42
Annex Table 5: Imports from LDCs by major markets and product
groups, 2011-2019. 44
Annex Table 6: Top 50 exported products of LDCs in 2019. 46
Annex Table 7: Exports and imports of commercial services of
the LDCs, 2019. 49
Annex Table 8: Major multilateral non-reciprocal LDC
preference schemes undertaken by Members, 2020 or latest available yeara 50
[1] This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or to their
rights and obligations under the WTO.