Title page 1

Contents 5

Acknowledgements 4

OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index 2026: Policy Trends 7

Key messages 7

Recent developments in services trade policy 9

Stagnation in services trade reform compromises potential competitiveness and productivity gains amid AI boom and uncertain global trade context 9

Services trade barriers remain asymmetric across regions 10

Services trade policy changes were unevenly distributed across sectors in 2025 13

New policies affected services trade via commercial presence and temporary movement of natural persons 15

Wider uptake of electronic applications for operating licenses advanced the implementation of services domestic regulation disciplines 16

Leading STRI performers and reformers 18

Japan, the Netherlands and Spain are the top STRI performers in 2025 18

New Zealand, Indonesia and India are the leading STRI reformers in 2025 19

Key services trade reforms in other countries 21

Shifting digital services trade landscape 22

Substantial disparities in digital trade openness persist 22

A decade of important changes to the regulatory landscape of digital trade 25

Economic gains from services policy modernisation 28

Services trade reforms can unlock substantial trade cost savings 28

Improved access to services inputs boosts productivity and reduces emissions in downstream manufacturing 29

About the STRI 31

References 32

Notes 34

Annex A. Policy changes across countries 35

Annex B. STRI indices by sector 68

Annex C. Digital STRI by country 83

Table 1. Local presence and data localisation requirements are the most common barriers to digitally enabled services 27

Figure 1. The United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland are the world's largest services exporters 10

Figure 2. Services trade barriers are fragmented across regions 11

Figure 3. Asia-Pacific economies have undertaken significant services trade reforms since 2014 12

Figure 4. STRI coverage for Latin American economies is expanding 12

Figure 5. Insurance services saw the highest degree of reforms in 2024-25 14

Figure 6. Air transport, legal services and accounting services continue to have the highest barriers 15

Figure 7. Services trade restrictiveness varies widely across countries 18

Figure 8. New Zealand, Indonesia and India are the top STRI reformers in 2025 19

Figure 9. Manufacturing labour productivity gains from India's 2025 reform in insurance 20

Figure 10. Digital trade restrictiveness across countries and regions 23

Figure 11. Digital STRI outcomes vary considerably within regions 24

Figure 12. Digital trade barriers have decreased in Africa and the Americas since 2014 24

Figure 13. Top reformers in the Digital STRI, 2014-25 26

Figure 14. Highest trade cost reductions from services policy reforms could be achieved in financial services and air transport 29

Boxes 6

Box 1. Expanding the STRI coverage in Asia-Pacific and Latin America 11

Box 2. Opening insurance services is expected to reduce trade costs and boost manufacturing productivity in India 19

Box 3. Digital STRI expansion to Africa 22

Box 4. OECD Services Trade Workshop discussed services trade competitiveness and barriers 30

Figure A B.1. Telecommunication (Panel A) and computer services (Panel B), 2025 71

Figure A B.2. Television and broadcasting (Panel A) and motion picture services (Panel B), 2025 72

Figure A B.3. Sound recording services, 2025 73

Figure A B.4. Air transport services (Panel A) and maritime transport services (Panel B), 2025 74

Figure A B.5. Rail freight transport services (Panel A) and road freight transport services (Panel B), 2025 75

Figure A B.6. Courier services (Panel A) and distribution services (Panel B), 2025 76

Figure A B.7. Logistics cargo-handling services (Panel A) and logistics storage and warehouse services (Panel B), 2025 77

Figure A B.8. Logistics freight forwarding services (Panel A) and logistics customs brokerage services (Panel B), 2025 78

Figure A B.9. Commercial banking services (Panel A) and insurance services (Panel B), 2025 79

Figure A B.10. Legal services (Panel A), and accounting and auditing services (Panel B), 2025 80

Figure A B.11. Construction services (Panel A) and architecture services (Panel B), 2025 81

Figure A B.12. Engineering services, 2025 82

Figure A C.1. Digital STRI by country, 2025 83