Stronger multilateral trade rules could lift global GDP by 2.9 per cent and global exports by 17.9 per cent by 2050 relative to a baseline trajectory, according to a scenario in the WTO’s World Trade Report 2026.
Published on 15 September, the report examines alternative futures for the trading system. Its projections are conditional modelling results, rather than a forecast that governments have already secured those gains.
The stronger-cooperation scenario assumes broader market-opening commitments, new rules for digital trade and services, wider membership and a framework balancing openness with security concerns.
For least-developed countries, the model estimates GDP gains of 7.7 per cent under that scenario. The report links those potential benefits to reductions in tariffs and other trade costs.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala argued that cooperation remains relevant despite changes in the global economy. For policymakers, the report provides a framework for assessing the costs of fragmentation and the possible returns from updating shared rules.
By Editorial Desk. Source announcement: 15 September 2026.
Image: Shipping containers and port machinery. Photo by Diego F. Parra on Pexels. Illustrative photograph; not from the reported event.