Trade in goods, 2016

The WTO data used for this map have been incorporated into large regions, producing an image that is simple and easy to read but which masks significant imbalances (for example, China represents 76% of all Asian exports) and repeats concepts which should be qualified (the Northern “triad” where most trade is said to be concentrated). The arrows showing the direction of interregional trade reveal confusions, a hierarchy and, often, an imbalance between exports and imports (between Asia and North America for example). The circles showing intra-regional trade show the transactions between states within a zone; they should be taken with caution, because they partly depend on numbers of states or level of economic integration, hence the high figure for Europe.