The Invisible Barriers to Trade – How Businesses Experience Non-Tariff Measures (en)

Small firms in the world’s poorest countries are hit hardest by non-tariff measures, according to an ITC study on how businesses experience non-tariff measures in 23 developing countries.

The impact of NTMs on companies and countries is highly uneven. Small firms are most affected (over 50%). NTMs for agricultural exports to developed countries are perceived as a major hurdle; so are regional markets for manufacturing exports in developing countries. These invisible barriers to trade are mostly a combination of conformity and pre-shipment requirements requested abroad, and weak inspection or certification procedures at home. Over 11,500 exporters and importers participated in the surveys; details on the methodology and additional survey results are in the report.