According to the latest Global Trade Outlook & Statistics published by the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong ranked as the world’s fifth-largest merchandise trading entity in 2025, up two places from 2024. If the European Union was taken as a single trading entity, Hong Kong would have ranked fourth.

Hong Kong's merchandise trade recorded a year-on-year increase of 17.5% to US$1,585 billion, accounting for 3% of the world’s total.

Moreover, Hong Kong was the world’s fifth-largest exporter and the sixth-largest importer of goods, three places up from 2024 on both counts.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau said: “The World Trade Organization’s report fully demonstrated that despite the challenges brought about by geopolitics and trade protectionism in the past year, Hong Kong’s external trade remained resilient and achieved an encouraging result, making the city the world’s fifth-largest trading entity in merchandise trade after the Chinese Mainland, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands.”

He also highlighted that Hong Kong, a predictable and transparent market, leverages institutional advantages under “one country, two systems” that allow it to be the most important and agile gateway for business and trade in the region.

“The report also showed that a series of measures carried out by the Government for promoting trade, including expanding economic and trade networks, stepping up efforts in attracting enterprises and investment, deepening ties with international markets, exploring emerging markets, enhancing support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and promoting Hong Kong’s participation in the Belt & Road initiative and opening up the Mainland market, have achieved fruitful results.”

He stressed that in addition to strengthening these measures, the Government will promote trade and focus on assisting Mainland enterprises in going global through Hong Kong, with a view to fulfilling the city’s roles as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder".