BRIEF

Trade Policy and Fragmentation Visualization Tools

What’s changing in global trade and trade policy? How do these shifts affect development and welfare? And how should developing economies respond?

These are the core questions driving the Development Research Group’s Trade Fragmentation Research Initiative. In response, our researchers produce cutting-edge studies that blend academic rigor with policy relevance.

This website brings that research to life through interactive, user-friendly visualization tools. Users can explore how trade policies and fragmentation affect different countries and outcomes by adjusting scenarios and generating custom graphs in real time.

Some advanced tools may require high computing power and are currently accessible only through the World Bank intranet. However, we offer publicly available installers, along with data and source code (when permissible), so researchers and students can use them locally.

We’re continually expanding this portal with new tools and features—stay tuned!

Highlighted Charts

The figures below illustrate how trade costs, drivers of economic growth, and trade patterns evolved across different regions in recent years.

 

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      Trade restrictions surged

      Since 2009, cumulative import restrictions have surged, reaching nearly 12% of global trade by December 2024.
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      Notes: Authors' calculations using TIVA Input Output tables.

      One reason for the growing protectionism might be that export-led growth is waning for some

      Export-led Growth Index in the period 2017-2019, compared to the period of hyper-globalization (2002-2007). Positive index implies Export-led Growth, negative values Domestic-led growth.
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      Notes: Only 60 countries are reported due to data availability constraints. Codes represent ISO country names.

      Which countries’ growth is most (least) export-led?

      Half of the world’s economies are export-led growth, while the other half’s growth is driven by domestic forces.
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      Notes: Authors' calculation using UNCOMTRADE bilateral data. Each color represents a community.

      From Globalization to Fragmentation: World Trade Communities in the 2020s

      Global trade has splintered into five distinct blocs in the 2020s, up from just two in the 1990s—centered around North America and Europe.
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      Some countries bridge trade blocs, while others trade within their own communities

      Connector countries play the dual role of shock propagators and buffers across trading blocs.

     

    Visualization of the most recent trade data

    This dashboard allows users to explore real-time trends in global goods trade as monthly data are released. Users can track trade flows over time, compare year-over-year and monthly changes, and analyze shifts by country, commodity, or region. The data featured in the dashboard is also used to prepare the Trade Watch quarterly notes.

    Trade watch dashboard

    To download additional annual trade data, visit the World Trade Integrated Solution (WITS) database. 

    Simulation tools (optimized for desktop use)

    Available on the World Bank Intranet: This online simulation tool focuses on food trade disruptions, given their importance for developing countries. It allows users to explore the effects of food trade disruptions on household welfare in two ways: by modeling the impact of export restrictions from major producers, or by entering hypothetical price increases to simulate a variety of shocks—whether triggered by trade policy, domestic measures, or natural disasters. 

    External use: This software with installer offers the same simulation features as the online tools, with additional flexibility to run the tools offline and adapt them for teaching or research purposes. They include installer, source code, and data when non-confidential:

    Publicly available simulation: We are working on other publicly available online tools to visualize and simulate the impacts of a wider variety of shocks, drawing from recent World Bank research.

    RELATED

    Trade Fragmentation Research Initiative

    Trade and International Integration Research Program

    Development Research Group