The US and the UK are the world's leading exporters of digital services

About half of the world's service exports are now conducted on digital platforms.

While the main digital service exporting countries are concentrated in developed countries, export markets in India and China are growing significantly, according to a visualcapitalist.com analysis based on data from the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2023, India's digital services exports exceeded $257 billion, up 17% year-on-year. At the same time, the value of China's digital services exports almost doubled between 2019 and 2023, reaching $207 billion.

Digital services are defined as services transacted over electronic networks, such as digital applications or platforms. They can encompass a wide range of activities, including IT support, streaming media, research and development, and financial services. As more business and consumer transactions are conducted online, digital services are increasingly important to the global economy.

According to the cited source, the top exporters of digitally delivered services in 2023 were: The US leads the way with $649 billion, or 15.3% of the global total. Around two-thirds of America's service exports are digital. Financial services are the leading sector, while cloud services are among the fastest growing overall. In addition, advances in artificial intelligence are expected to drive digital exports in the future, driven by strong demand, cost savings and increased innovation potential.

The UK is in second place with $438 billion (10.3% of the global total). Over 80% of UK service exports are delivered through digital channels.

Ireland is next ($328 billion, or 7.7% of the global total), and is one of the largest exporters of IT services. Thanks to Ireland's favorable tax policies, many large technology companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple have their European headquarters in the country.

The next places in the Top 10 of global exporters of digital services are as follows: India ($257 billion, or 6% of the global total); Germany ($248 billion; 5.8% of the total); China ($207 billion; 4.9% of the total); Netherlands ($194 billion; 4.6% of the total); Singapore ($182 billion; 4.3% of the total); France ($170 billion; 4% of the total); Luxembourg ($122 billion; 2.9% of the total).

The 11th to 20th places are as follows: Japan ($116 billion; 2.7% of the total); Switzerland ($111 billion; 2.6% of total); Belgium ($89 billion; 2.1% of total); Canada ($80 billion; 1.9% of total); Sweden ($69 billion; 1.6% of total); Spain ($67 billion; 1.6% of total); Israel ($63 billion; 1.5% of total); South Korea ($62 billion; 1.5% of total); Italy ($61 billion; 1.4% of total); United Arab Emirates ($48 billion; 1.1% of total).