Growing digitalization points to recovery of trade in ICT goods in 2020

Preliminary data for 2020 from three major economies – Germany, Hong Kong (China) and the United States – shows that COVID-19 induced digitalization could boost imports and exports of information and communications technologies (ICTs). This growth points to a possible reversion of pre-pandemic falls in trade of ICT goods in 2019. The composition of ICT trade also seems to have been affected by the pandemic. In 2020, imports of communication equipment into the three aforementioned economies fell by 4%, while imports of computers and peripheral equipment grew by 10%.