ITC-UNCTAD Global Digital Trade Development Report 2025: India Leading in Digital Trade Growth and Intensity
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Commerce & Industry | Reserve Bank of India
The International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with UNCTAD released the Global Digital Trade Development Report 2025, which highlights that India is among the fastest-growing players in digital trade globally. Between 2020 and 2024, India’s digital services exports - spanning software, consulting, education, finance, and data processing - expanded at an average annual rate of 16.9%, the highest globally, outpacing Brazil (14.8%) and Mexico (13.9%).
Globally, digitally delivered trade rose from $3.21 trillion in 2020 to $4.64 trillion in 2024, while digitally ordered trade through e-commerce platforms grew even faster. Despite this surge, the share of digital trade in total global trade remains modest at 21.9% in 2024. India, however, stands out not just for its growth but also for the digital intensity of its trade basket, ranking among the top three globally alongside the UK and US in the share of digital trade in total exports
This report underscores India’s momentum in merging trade and digital economies. As India negotiates digital trade rules, it can use this evidence base to push for more favourable terms on data governance, e-commerce, platform regulation and to support SMEs’ global participation. Aligning this growth trajectory with India’s policies like Digital India, National Data Governance Framework, and trade diplomacy will be crucial for consolidating gains.
What is digitally delivered trade? → Services delivered remotely over networks (e.g. IT, finance, consulting, online education). It matters because it enables countries without heavy physical exports to engage in global value chains.
What is trade digitalization intensity? → The share of digital trade (digitally delivered services + digitally ordered goods) in a country’s total trade. A higher share shows stronger integration into the digital global economy.
Follow the full report here: https://www.intracen.org/resources/publications/global-digital-trade-development-report-2025