Non-tariff measures have quietly overtaken traditional tariffs as the primary cost burden facing exporters in most of the world, with developing and least-developed countries bearing the heaviest load, according to a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The May 2026 Global Trade Update, titled “Invisible Barriers: The Costs of Non-Tariff Measures,” finds that non-tariff measures (NTMs), including regulations, mandatory standards and product requirements, now impose higher export costs than tariffs for 88 percent of countries.
Tariffs rose sharply in 2025, climbing 10 percent for developed countries, 16 percent for developing nations and 18 percent for least-developed countries. Even so, NTMs remained the dominant cost driver across most markets.
“Trade-related regulations and non-tariff barriers are on the rise and impose greater costs on trade than tariffs,” UNCTAD said.
Least-developed countries lose approximately 10 percent of their exports to Group of 20 (G20) markets because they cannot meet NTM requirements. Smaller exporters face greater difficulties due to limited technical and financial capacity, and when testing or certification is unavailable locally, exporters are forced to route products through third countries for compliance checks.
The findings carry direct relevance for Africa. A survey of 960 traders found that almost half of exporters in Ghana encounter NTM-related obstacles, with conformity assessment requirements, export inspections and customs clearance procedures among the most common barriers.
UNCTAD identified transparency failures as a compounding problem. When governments fail to notify the World Trade Organization (WTO) about new technical and sanitary measures, the resulting uncertainty creates costs equivalent to a 28 percent tariff. Improving transparency alone could reduce NTM-related trade costs by around 19 percent.
The agency described transparency as a “low-hanging fruit” for reducing trade costs and urged wider use of existing databases and trade helpdesks to make regulatory requirements more accessible to businesses.
For Ghana and the broader region, the report identified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major opportunity. Aligning technical measures across African countries could cut compliance costs for agricultural and manufacturing trade by between 30 and 40 percent, according to UNCTAD research cited in the report.
The share of global exports originating from least-developed countries stood at about 1.1 percent in 2024, barely above the 1.0 percent recorded in 2010 and still far below the United Nations target of 2 percent that was set for 2020.
