Geneva: New UNCTAD data reveal that services have taken the lead in the world's $2.5 trillion ocean-related trade, surpassing goods and presenting new opportunities for developing countries to harness ocean resources while ensuring their protection.
According to Emirates News Agency, trade in ocean-related services hit $1.44 trillion in 2025, accounting for 58% of the total ocean trade, a significant increase from 47% in 2020. This growth is primarily attributed to marine and coastal tourism, maritime freight transport, and port services. The data, released on World Oceans Day on June 8th, highlight the evolving landscape of ocean trade.
Marine and coastal tourism emerged as the largest ocean service export in 2025, reaching $785 billion, which is more than half of the total ocean services trade. Maritime freight transport followed closely, recording $487 billion. This marks a stark recovery from 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted international marine and coastal tourism, causing a 70% decline. However, the data also underscore the ocean economy's vulnerability to shocks such as geopolitical tensions, conflicts, and disruptions along key maritime routes.
The ocean-related services trade experienced a growth of 3% in 2025, a slowdown compared to the 12% growth in 2024. Despite this deceleration, the sector continues to expand. Meanwhile, ocean-related goods trade exceeded $1 trillion in 2025, growing by 8%, with significant contributions from ships and port equipment ($414 billion), high-tech manufactures ($402 billion), fisheries and aquaculture ($209 billion), and sea minerals ($2 billion).
Ashok Adic©am, Executive Director of Mission Neptune in France, emphasized the importance of the ocean as a crucial frontier. He stated, 'The ocean is Earth's least explored frontier, yet it may hold answers to this century's defining challenges. Our challenge is no longer only to generate knowledge, but to ensure that knowledge, technology, and exploration become truly shared global public goods.'
The future of the ocean economy is intricately linked to maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. As of June 2026, approximately 10% of marine areas and 17% of territorial waters were protected globally, still falling short of the global biodiversity target to conserve and effectively manage 30% of ocean areas by 2030.
