Understanding the UNCTAD Services Imports Indicator
The UNCTAD Services Imports indicator is a critical metric used to assess the scale, structure, and integration of an economy into the global service-based market. Managed by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in collaboration with the WTO, this indicator tracks the purchase of intangible services by residents from non-residents, following the international standards set by the IMF’s BPM6 (Balance of Payments Manual, Sixth Edition).
What Does the Indicator Measure?
Unlike goods, which are physical and cross borders, services are "intangible actions" that often occur at the point of consumption or over digital networks. UNCTAD tracks services imports across several key dimensions:
Total Value: Measured in current US dollars, providing a snapshot of the global demand for foreign services.
Service Categories: UNCTAD breaks down imports into roughly 100 categories, including:
Travel: Spending by residents while abroad (tourism and business travel).
Transport: Costs of moving goods and people internationally (shipping, air freight).
Digitally Deliverable Services: Financial, IT, and business services that can be traded remotely.
Intellectual Property: Payments for the use of proprietary technology, franchises, or content.
Economic Impact: Often expressed as a percentage of GDP or a percentage of total trade, measuring an economy's "openness" and reliance on foreign expertise or infrastructure.
Current Trends and 2026 Outlook
According to the latest UNCTAD data and 2025–2026 forecasts, services trade has shown remarkable resilience compared to merchandise trade.
| Indicator Trend | 2024 (Actual) | 2025 (Projected) | 2026 (Forecast) |
| Global Services Growth | ~8% | ~9% | ~4% - 5% |
| Primary Driver | Travel Recovery | Digital Services | AI-related Services |
| Risk Factors | Inflation | Geopolitical Tension | Trade Fragmentation |
Key 2026 Developments:
Shift to Digital: Digitally deliverable services now account for over half of all service trade. In 2026, the adoption of Generative AI is expected to further drive imports of high-tech business and computer services.
Trade Fragmentation: UNCTAD warns of "friend-shoring," where countries prioritize importing services from politically aligned partners, potentially increasing costs for developing nations.
The "Services-Goods" Link: Services imports are increasingly "embedded" in manufactured goods (e.g., software in an imported electric vehicle), making the indicator vital for understanding modern supply chains.
Why This Indicator Matters
Policymakers and researchers use UNCTAD’s services data for three primary reasons:
Economic Diversification: For developing countries, high services imports can signal a "missing link" in the domestic economy, but they also provide the necessary inputs (like telecommunications) to help local industries compete.
Trade Balance Analysis: Services imports are a major component of the Current Account. Countries like the US often run goods deficits but services surpluses, while many developing nations are net importers of services.
Sustainable Development: UNCTAD uses this indicator to track the Inclusive Growth Index, assessing whether service trade is helping to bridge the digital divide between the Global North and South.
Global Rankings: Top Services Importers (2024–2025)
The hierarchy of services importers is dominated by advanced economies with high consumption of foreign digital, financial, and travel services. However, the 2024–2025 data shows a significant surge in imports from major developing economies.
Based on the latest UNCTAD and WTO trade figures (actuals for 2024 and preliminary 2025 data), the following countries lead the world in service imports:
Top 10 Services Importers by Value
| Rank | Country | Import Value (Approx. USD Billion) | Key Import Categories |
| 1 | United States | ~$812 | IT, Financial Services, Intellectual Property |
| 2 | China | ~$613 | Travel (Tourism), Transport, Tech Services |
| 3 | Germany | ~$552 | Professional Services, Transport, Travel |
| 4 | Ireland | ~$418 | Intellectual Property, R&D, Computer Services |
| 5 | United Kingdom | ~$402 | Financial Services, Professional/Business Services |
| 6 | Singapore | ~$351 | Transport, Financial Services, Management |
| 7 | France | ~$340 | Travel, Transport, Business Services |
| 8 | Netherlands | ~$268 | Intellectual Property, Telecommunications |
| 9 | Japan | ~$246 | IT Services, Transport, Professional Services |
| 10 | India | ~$197 | Computer Services, Business Services, Travel |
Key Observations from the Rankings
The "IP Hub" Phenomenon: Countries like Ireland and the Netherlands rank disproportionately high compared to their population size. This is due to their roles as global hubs for intellectual property (IP) and research, where multinational corporations import large volumes of licensing and royalty-related services.
China’s Travel Rebound: After years of subdued activity, China's services imports saw an 11% growth in 2024, largely driven by the return of international tourism (the "Travel" category of the indicator).
The U.S. Dominance: The United States remains the world's largest consumer of foreign services, particularly in the "Digitally Deliverable" sector. In early 2025, U.S. services imports surged by 10% year-on-year, reflecting strong domestic demand for global software and business solutions.
India’s Rising Demand: India is not just a services exporter; it is rapidly becoming a major importer of professional and technical services to support its expanding industrial and digital infrastructure.
Regional Growth Leaders (2025–2026 Forecast)
While the top 10 remain relatively stable, UNCTAD highlights specific regions where the growth rate of services imports is outpacing the global average:
Africa: Expected to see a 3% to 5% increase in service imports as infrastructure and transport services are bought to support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
South America: Brazil and Chile are showing double-digit growth in imports of financial and insurance services as their digital banking sectors mature.
East Asia: Driven by the "AI Boom," countries like South Korea and Taiwan are increasing imports of specialized computing services and data processing from global providers.
The Fastest Rising Countries in Services Imports (2025–2026)
While global trade is projected to reach a record $35 trillion in 2026, the growth of services imports is increasingly being driven by a select group of high-momentum economies in the Global South. According to the latest UNCTAD Global Trade Updates (December 2025), services trade grew by approximately 9% in 2025, significantly outperforming merchandise trade.
The "fastest improvement" is currently concentrated in regions where digital transformation and infrastructure development are creating an insatiable demand for foreign expertise.
1. Vietnam: The Regional Performance Leader
Vietnam has emerged as the clear leader in service import growth within Southeast Asia.
Performance: In 2025, Vietnam’s services imports surpassed $70 billion, with a year-on-year growth rate exceeding 15%.
The Drivers: * Transport & Logistics: Accounting for 42% of its imports, driven by the need to support its massive export manufacturing machine.
Digital Infrastructure: A surge in imports of telecom and audio-visual equipment/services as the country builds out its 5G and AI capabilities.
2026 Outlook: Vietnam is projected to remain a top-tier growth performer as it transitions from a low-cost manufacturing hub to a tech-integrated economy.
2. Africa’s Import Resurgence: South Africa and Nigeria
Africa recorded some of the strongest regional gains in late 2025, with a 10% increase in imports.
The Hubs: South Africa and Nigeria are leading this regional trend.
The Shift: Improvement is seen in the "Other Services" category, which includes financial, insurance, and business services. This reflects the early successes of the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area), requiring more cross-border financial and professional service imports to facilitate regional trade.
3. India: The High-Value Consumer
India remains the fastest-growing major economy on the import side of the services ledger, despite its fame as an exporter.
Double-Digit Momentum: India consistently posts double-digit annual growth in services imports (roughly 11% in recent 12-month trailing data).
The Driver: As Indian firms scale globally, they are importing record levels of Management Consulting, R&D, and Intellectual Property (IP) services to maintain their competitive edge.
Comparison of High-Growth Importers (2025 Actuals)
| Country/Region | Import Growth (YoY) | Primary Growth Engine |
| Vietnam | ~15.6% | Logistics & Manufacturing Support |
| Africa (Regional) | ~10.0% | Financial & Transport Services |
| India | ~11.0% | Tech Licensing & Business Services |
| Brazil | ~14.0% | Digital Economy & Travel |
Why Rapid Import Growth is a Positive Indicator
For these "fastest improvement" countries, a rising UNCTAD Services Imports indicator is not a sign of weakness, but of structural maturation:
Embedded Services: High imports of software and engineering services are now "embedded" into the goods these countries export, making their physical products more valuable on the global market.
Consumer Power: The rebound in "Travel" services imports in these nations indicates a rapidly expanding middle class with the disposable income to spend on international tourism.
The AI Wave: 2026 is seeing a specific spike in computer services imports as these nations buy into global AI LLM (Large Language Model) infrastructures to power their local industries.
Strategic Services Trade Improvement Projects
To sustain the "fastest improvement" status, the leading countries are moving beyond simple consumption and into structural reform projects. These initiatives, often supported by UNCTAD and the WTO, aim to improve data accuracy, reduce digital barriers, and integrate services into the national industrial strategy.
1. Vietnam: The "Digital Trinity" Project (2026)
Vietnam has launched a massive US$3.6 billion investment push for 2026, targeting a "trinity" of science, innovation, and digital transformation.
National Data Centers: Building centralized infrastructure to reduce the cost of importing data-processing services.
Starlink & 5G Rollout: Partnering with global providers to achieve nationwide 5G coverage by late 2026, facilitating smoother imports of "Mode 1" (cross-border) digital services.
Regulatory Sandboxes: Creating "FinTech sandboxes" to allow foreign financial services to enter the market under controlled conditions, improving the Financial Services Import sub-indicator.
2. Africa: The PAPSS and TiSSTAT Initiatives
For African leaders like Nigeria and South Africa, the challenge is not just the volume of imports, but the cost of transacting.
Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS): A major project aimed at allowing African businesses to pay for service imports (like consulting or transport) in local currencies. This is expected to save the continent $5 billion annually in transaction costs by 2026.
TiSSTAT Implementation: UNCTAD is working with West African nations to implement the Trade-in-Services Statistics Information System. This project helps governments move from "guessing" to "measuring" their service imports through enterprise-level surveys, leading to better-informed trade policies.
3. India: Supply Chain & "Digital Overhaul" (2026)
India’s 2026 strategy focuses on "calibrated" services trade—improving the quality of what it buys to boost the value of what it makes.
Service-Led Manufacturing: India is actively incentivizing the import of high-end R&D and Engineering services (through tax deductions of up to 200%) to support its semiconductor and electronics manufacturing goals.
Digital Compliance Overhaul: The Ministry of Commerce has launched a digital portal to streamline trade intelligence. This project reduces the "red tape" for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) that need to import foreign software and cloud services to compete globally.
Project Impact Summary (2026 Forecast)
| Country | Key Project | Primary Goal | Expected 2026 Outcome |
| Vietnam | Digital Trinity Budget | Infrastructure/AI | 5% contribution to GDP growth |
| Nigeria/SA | PAPSS System | Currency Efficiency | $5B in transaction savings |
| India | R&D Tax Incentives | High-tech Sourcing | Reduced reliance on low-end imports |
The Role of UNCTAD16 (October 2025)
A major catalyst for these projects was the 16th UN Trade and Development Conference (UNCTAD16) held in late 2025. The conference established the Global Services Forum, a permanent platform designed to:
Close the Data Divide: Helping the 85% of developing countries that still lack disaggregated services data.
Harmonize AI Regulations: Preventing "digital protectionism" so that emerging markets can continue to import AI services without facing massive tariff walls.
Climate-Smart Services: Funding projects that prioritize the import of "green services"—such as environmental consulting and renewable energy engineering.
Conclusion: The Future of the Services Imports Indicator
As we move through 2026, the UNCTAD Services Imports indicator has transitioned from a secondary trade metric to a primary barometer of national resilience and modernization. The data from 2025 and 2026 confirms that while the global trade in goods may fluctuate due to tariffs and supply chain shifts, services trade remains the "growth anchor" of the global economy.
Key Takeaways for 2026:
The Rise of "Servicification": Services are no longer just standalone products (like a hotel stay); they are now the "connective tissue" of manufacturing. Up to one-third to two-thirds of the value of manufactured exports now comes from imported service inputs like design, engineering, and software.
Digital Dominance: Digitally deliverable services—fueled by the AI boom and cloud computing—now represent the fastest-growing segment of the indicator. Countries that facilitate these imports are seeing faster industrial upgrades.
A Shift in the Global South: Emerging leaders like Vietnam, India, and Nigeria are successfully using services imports to "leapfrog" traditional development hurdles, moving directly into high-value digital and financial ecosystems.
Heightened Uncertainty: Despite record-breaking trade values (surpassing $35 trillion in late 2025), UNCTAD warns that 2026 will be a year of "cautious momentum." Geopolitical "friend-shoring" and policy volatility mean that accurate data from the Services Imports indicator is more vital than ever for businesses to plan their international footprints.
Looking Ahead
The finalization of the MSITS 2026 (Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services) will further refine this indicator, offering better tools to measure digital trade and the participation of small businesses. For policymakers, the message is clear: the ability to efficiently import foreign services is now just as important as the ability to export local goods.
