WTO: SI-related exports outweighed trade losses from the Middle East conflict; goods trade growth forecast at 3.9%
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
SI infrastructure investment is already visible in world trade: nearly half of its growth in the half-year, according to the WTO.
According to Semafor, the WTO forecasts world goods trade growth of 3.9% this year. SI-related goods and materials accounted for 47% of trade growth in the first half of 2026 while making up about 15% of trade. The WTO's chief economist, as quoted by Semafor, named two opposing forces — a Middle East conflict affecting services as much as goods, and an exceptionally strong wave of investment in SI infrastructure — and said the second has so far outweighed the first.
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