PUBLISHER: World Trade Organization (www.wto.org)
Global merchandise trade continued to bounce back in the first quarter of 2021 from its collapse earlier in the pandemic, but the pace of recovery has diverged strongly across countries and regions. The volume of merchandise exports and imports in the first quarter rose to new heights in Asia, reverted to pre-pandemic levels in Europe and North America, and lagged in poorer, less industrialized regions such as Africa and the Middle East.