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Reports

June 2026

Emerging Approaches for Measuring and Estimating Digital Trade

Published Under

Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), Digital Economy Steering Group (DESG)

Accessed

1

Pages

23

This report explores emerging approaches to measuring and estimating digital trade across APEC economies. It provides an overview of the commonly used conceptual framework for defining digital trade and highlights persistent data gaps and challenges associated with the compilation of digital trade data. The report outlines a number of recent methodological advances and datasets developed by international organisations, including work from the OECD, WTO, and UNCTAD, and presents case studies from selected APEC economies to illustrate how individual economies are developing practical solutions. Drawing on these experiences, it identifies key lessons, such as the value of leveraging existing data and frameworks, fostering cross-sector collaboration, adopting incremental approaches to data development, and promoting international dialogue and collaboration on measurement and estimation approaches.