Cambodia secures 8th place in DHL trade volume rankings

Cambodia secures 8th place in DHL trade volume rankings

Cambodia has secured eighth place in the DHL Trade Volume Growth Speed Rankings, positioning itself on top of the list among the emerging countries and underdeveloped ones with the highest growth in trade volumes on an annual basis.

The rankings were published in the ‘DHL TRADE ATLAS 2025’ that was released last Friday. The ranking is based on the increase in trade volume during the five years between 2019 and 2024; additional weightage is also given to the expected increase in trade volume between the five years from 2024 to 2029.

Cambodia achieved, on average six percent growth between 2019 and 2024 and is expected to clock a nine percent growth in total trade volume during the coming five years on an annual basis.

The Kingdom also stands first among the Asean nations followed by the Philippines (15), Indonesia (25), Vietnam (29), Myanmar (56), Malaysia (70), Singapore (78), Thailand (91), Brunei (125) and Laos (169).

African countries are toppers in the list as underdeveloped countries often find higher growth in trade volumes. With 16 percent annual trade volume growth expected in the coming five years, Sudan is ranked number one. Zimbabwe occupies the second place followed by Georgia (emerging economy), Madagascar, Guyana (emerging economy), Benin and Gambia.

On the other side, the world’s major trading nations received lower rankings owing to their lower growth percentage in trade volume. The US was ranked 108 and China stood at 109.

The report was published in partnership with New York University Stern School of Business (NYU Stern). It was prepared by Steve A Altman, Senior Research Scholar and Assistant Professor at NYU Stern and his colleague Caroline R Bastion.

Tobias Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Group said the Asean region is expected to stand out in terms of growth in trade volumes in the coming years along with South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Predicting future trade policies and estimating the likelihood of new tariffs have never been more challenging. However, history demonstrates that global trade has maintained remarkable resilience in the face of various stress tests, including the 2008 financial crisis, the US-China trade conflict, the Covid-19 pandemic, and wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

“While these events caused temporary trade disruptions, none resulted in a sustained decline in global trade volumes.

“This resilience stems from the fact that trade has historically been a transformative force, fostering prosperity and progress. It plays a crucial role in poverty reduction, enabling producers to focus on their strengths and scale their advantages.

“Trade provides consumers access to a broader array of affordable products, enriching lives in ways often taken for granted. Protectionism, on the other hand, carries significant costs, and countries that isolate themselves risk falling behind.”

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