• The DHL Globalisation Tracker 2026, launched today under its new title, has announced that global goods trade grew faster in the first half of 2026 than any half year in the last 15 years.
• This growth is attributed by the report to the rise in AI and the AI boom in terms of components needed to build AI infrastructure.
• The DHL Globalisation Tracker, previously know as the DHL Global Connectedness Tracker is a collaborative report between DHL and New York University’s Stern School of Business.

The DHL Globalisation Tracker 2026 has announced in its innaugural report under its new title, that global trade grew faster in the first half of 2026 than in any half year in the last 15 years. This is primarily due to the AI boom, which has given momentum to cross-border despite the impact of tariffs and geopolitical conflict that is putting strain on the global supply chain.

AI infrastructure, such as semiconductors and data-transmission equipment, is showing strong demand. Trade in this type of good drove 42 percent of goods trade growth in 2025, and rose to 76 percent during the first quarter of 2026, according to WTO and OECD analysis.

“The biggest story in global trade right now is AI – not tariffs,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Every AI query ultimately depends on logistics. Chips, networking agreement and the many other goods bejind this technology must be in the right place at the right time. DHL connects the businesses and markets behind these complex supply chains. Whenever innovation creates new trade flows, our global network keeps them moving.”

The Globalisation Tracker is a collaborative report conducted by DHL and New York University’s Stern School of Business. It is based on 30 million data points and analyses international flows of trade, capital, information and people.

Looking ahead, global goods trade is projected by the report to expand by an average of 3.4 percent per year through 2029, a greater figure than the 2.7 percent rate recorded in the last ten years.

“The surprise is not only that global trade kept growing through new tariffs and the Iran war, the outlook is now stronger than it was before either shock. This reminds us to look beyond the most visible disruptions and recognise the deeper reasons why trade remains so resilient. The AI trade boom highlights the demand for goods and services that can only be provided efficiently when specialised producers work together across countries. It also shows how companies continually adapt to keep trade moving through disruptions and policy shifts,” said Steven A. Altman, Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalisation at NYU Stern’s Centre for the future of Management.

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