WTO World Tariff Profiles 2025: Global Trade Landscape Shifts

The World Trade Organization's World Tariff Profiles 2025, published in December 2025, documents a significant shift in the global tariff landscape. For the first time since the early 2000s, the global average applied Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rate increased year-over-year, rising from 5.7% to 6.3%. This reversal of the decades-long trend toward trade liberalization reflects the cascading impact of unilateral tariff actions by major economies, particularly the United States and the European Union.

The report highlights that 47 WTO member nations raised tariffs on at least one product category in 2025, compared to just 12 in 2020. The increases are concentrated in three areas: strategic technology products (semiconductors, AI chips, quantum computing equipment), green energy components (solar panels, batteries, EVs), and agricultural products subject to food security concerns. Notably, India raised tariffs on over 100 tariff lines, while Brazil and Indonesia implemented new surcharges on imported electronics.

The U.S. tariff profile stands out dramatically. The WTO data confirms that the U.S. simple average applied MFN tariff rose from 3.4% in 2023 to 11.2% in 2025, the largest single-country increase recorded in the WTO's dataset. This places the United States above the global average for the first time since the organization's founding in 1995, and above the rates applied by many developing nations that have historically maintained higher tariff barriers.

For multinational companies, the WTO data underscores the need for jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction tariff analysis. A product classified under the same HS code faces vastly different duty rates depending on the destination market. The report shows that the tariff variance for a single 6-digit HS code across WTO members can range from 0% to over 50%, making accurate classification and market-specific rate lookup essential for pricing, sourcing, and market entry decisions.

The WTO report also notes growing use of non-tariff barriers — including technical standards, labeling requirements, and import licensing — as complements to tariff increases. These measures add complexity for exporters and importers alike, requiring compliance teams to monitor not just duty rates but the full spectrum of trade barriers in each market.