UNCTAD · ICT Services Exports
ICT services exports by country
What share of a country's services exports are telecoms, computer and information services?
Ireland placed first of the 118 countries compared in 2024, at 56.24845%, and Lesotho last, at 0.00000%. In the middle country the figure was 7.47418%. Among the 83 countries measured in every edition since 2005, the middle one moved from 4.19352% to 8.32130%.
Part ofEconomy & InnovationMobility & TradeDigital & Technology
ICT services exports · 2024
Context statistic
Highest of 118Ireland
56.24845%012024 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 118 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
2Photo: Jack Versloot · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: Shikari7 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2024
- 118
Lesotho0.00000% - 117
Macau0.04236% - 116
Papua New Guinea0.21473%
Positions out of 118. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
ICT services exports on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.00000–2.24567%
- 2.35258–6.32797%
- 6.86389–10.00277%
- 10.07253–16.55653%
- 16.89361–56.24845%
- No reading in 2024 (61 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
11.10983%
the middle country, of 38 measured · 49 members
Ireland56.24845%
Luxembourg2.98000%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
7.59034%
the middle country, of 34 measured · 52 members
Kuwait44.78113%Macau0.04236%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
5.70292%
the middle country, of 25 measured · 48 members
Uruguay19.48726%
Dominican Republic0.35736%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
2.42136%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 21 members
Tonga10.16736%Papua New Guinea0.21473%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
1.82124%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 55 members
Angola21.95922%Lesotho0.00000%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Eastern Europe
19.05571%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Ukraine38.09938%
Russia5.44730%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Northern Europe
13.93719%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Ireland56.24845%
Denmark7.03942%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Asia
12.98065%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 19 members
Kuwait44.78113%
Azerbaijan1.12158%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Western Europe
10.68976%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Belgium14.99314%Luxembourg2.98000%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- South America
10.57375%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 12 members
Uruguay19.48726%
Paraguay0.65935%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Asia
10.54031%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Pakistan44.61025%
Bhutan0.44706%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central America
8.45591%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Nicaragua19.43583%
Honduras2.24567%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Europe
7.75591%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Serbia28.08869%
Albania2.98533%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
7.35324%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Philippines15.55144%
Thailand0.71026%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Asia
4.71319%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
China22.49022%Macau0.04236%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Caribbean
2.35258%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 24 members
Curaçao3.40678%Dominican Republic0.35736%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Africa
2.02205%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 19 members
Djibouti6.86389%
Seychelles0.58503%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand6.11469%
Australia2.42136%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan10.58769%
Tajikistan1.03216%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Melanesia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands1.91642%Papua New Guinea0.21473%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Middle Africa
1 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Angola.
Angola21.95922%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
2 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Algeria, Egypt.
Egypt5.78501%
Algeria1.65034%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
3 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, United States.
Canada10.29512%
Bermuda1.97883%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga.
Tonga10.16736%
Samoa8.79861%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Southern Africa
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Lesotho, Namibia.
Namibia1.99213%Lesotho0.00000%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Western Africa
4 of 16 measured — too few for a middle: Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria.
Nigeria4.03818%
Gambia0.31132%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
118 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 7.47418%; a quarter are above 14.01286%, and a quarter below 2.78449%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 179 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. It is a share of services exports, not a size. An economy whose services exports are small and dominated by one telecoms or IT line can sit near the top, while a large tourism economy with a thriving software sector reads low. Rows marked "Estimated" are UNCTAD's estimates, not the country's own report.
Showing 25 of 179 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052005–2024 · 20 editions
Over time
Each point is one year from 2005. Many readings, especially in the early years and the newest one, are UNCTAD estimates rather than reported figures, and the newest year is still being filled in.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 83 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 118 | 7.47418% | 2.78449% – 14.01286% | 8.32130% |
| 2023 | 157 | 6.91078% | 2.53157% – 12.60841% | 8.48777% |
| 2022 | 165 | 6.43545% | 2.75666% – 12.86287% | 8.75489% |
| 2021 | 167 | 7.83968% | 3.32827% – 15.50784% | 8.82767% |
| 2020 | 173 | 7.79309% | 3.86248% – 13.45113% | 8.49655% |
| 2019 | 171 | 4.82661% | 2.18692% – 9.97105% | 5.56198% |
| 2018 | 170 | 4.84248% | 2.19355% – 10.63417% | 5.64910% |
| 2017 | 168 | 5.09164% | 2.15399% – 9.82888% | 5.76574% |
| 2016 | 169 | 5.28050% | 2.99145% – 9.78051% | 5.49684% |
| 2015 | 167 | 5.28062% | 2.82715% – 9.41421% | 5.07350% |
| 2014 | 169 | 5.36146% | 2.71295% – 9.57049% | 6.33327% |
| 2013 | 166 | 5.43396% | 2.89264% – 9.71294% | 5.55996% |
| 2012 | 164 | 5.55751% | 2.76556% – 8.73096% | 5.46828% |
| 2011 | 161 | 5.09414% | 2.60229% – 9.35150% | 5.19478% |
| 2010 | 150 | 5.00263% | 2.82145% – 8.89351% | 5.16284% |
| 2009 | 146 | 5.25574% | 2.76359% – 9.67009% | 5.39773% |
| 2008 | 145 | 4.92097% | 2.31387% – 9.14288% | 5.25453% |
| 2007 | 141 | 4.34690% | 2.31567% – 8.03690% | 4.55492% |
| 2006 | 135 | 4.23013% | 2.47050% – 8.67603% | 4.36393% |
| 2005 | 129 | 3.87812% | 2.34481% – 7.81307% | 4.19352% |
062023 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- Pakistan36.67521% → 44.61025% · 8th → 3rd+7.93504
- Kyrgyzstan3.97381% → 10.58769% · 97th → 40th+6.61388
Palestine11.51062% → 16.55653% · 43rd → 24th+5.04591
Slovakia14.86056% → 17.92830% · 31st → 22nd+3.06774- Samoa6.47067% → 8.79861% · 82nd → 52nd+2.32794
Declined most
before → after- Angola45.41476% → 21.95922% · 4th → 15th−23.45554
- Ukraine41.16372% → 38.09938% · 5th → 5th−3.06434
- Tonga13.15581% → 10.16736% · 38th → 44th−2.98845
Sri Lanka16.92442% → 14.05864% · 27th → 30th−2.86578
Trinidad and Tobago5.42945% → 2.65921% · 89th → 90th−2.77024
117 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024. The field changed from 157 to 118 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
ICT services exports in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
60.60202%
ICT services exports (% of services exports)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 12 times by 6 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.00000%
ICT services exports (% of services exports)
UNCTAD · 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Biggest improvement between editions
+47.17097
0.28319% → 47.45416%
Biggest decline between editions
−51.82888
53.51846% → 1.68958%
Most improved since first measured
+36.61499
1.48439% → 38.09938%
At the top most often
7 of 20
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About ICT services exports
ICT services exports are what a country earns abroad from telecommunications, computer and information services — software, IT outsourcing, data processing and telecoms — as a share of all its services exports. It is the narrowest measure on the site of how far a country sells technology services to the world.
What the number is: ICT services exports (% of services exports).
What it does not measure
It is a share of services exports, not their size, so it says nothing about how large a country's technology sector is, and many readings are estimates rather than reported figures.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Mobility & Trade and Digital & Technology, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationMobility & TradeDigital & TechnologyWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where ICT services exports is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsKeyUNCTAD · 117 countries in commonρ 0.62
- Economic Complexity IndexKeyGrowth Lab at Harvard University · 95 countries in commonρ 0.43
Moves against
Where ICT services exports is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 107 countries in commonρ −0.41
- Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 105 countries in commonρ −0.40
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 159 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
11Questions
ICT services exports: questions and answers
Which country has the highest ICT services exports?
Ireland, at 56.24845%, among the 118 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest ICT services exports?
Lesotho, at 0.00000%, among the 118 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the ICT Services Exports cover?
118 in 2024, and 179 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 118 to 173 between editions.
What is the world average ICT services exports?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 118 compared in 2024, the figure was 7.47418%.
Is this UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s own ranking?
No. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the ICT Services Exports published?
This site holds 20 editions, describing 2005 to 2024.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Read from UNCTAD's own US.TradeServIct bulk file on UNCTADstat rather than the World Bank's copy, which is the IMF's balance-of-payments series under a restrictive licence. UNCTAD's regional and group totals are left out; the US$ amount is kept beside the share. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
ICT Services Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Read from UNCTAD's own US.TradeServIct bulk file on UNCTADstat rather than the World Bank's copy, which is the IMF's balance-of-payments series under a restrictive licence. UNCTAD's regional and group totals are left out; the US$ amount is kept beside the share.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Trade in ICT services, value, shares and growth, annual. Geneva: UNCTAD Data Hub.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Ireland — derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kuwait — Jack Versloot, CC BY 2.0
- Pakistan — Shikari7, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). ICT services exports by country: ICT Services Exports, data from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/ict-services-exports