DHL, a global logistics leader, has released the fourth edition of its Global Connectedness Index (GCI), a detailed analysis of the state of globalisation around the world. The 2016 report shows that global connectedness, measured by cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people, surpassed its 2007 pre-crisis peak during 2014.
In 2015, globalisation’s post-crisis expansion slowed, but the data indicate that it did not go into reverse. Currently available evidence – still preliminary in some areas – suggests that the world was about 8 per cent more connected in 2015 than in 2005.
The information pillar – measured by international internet traffic, telephone call minutes and trade in printed publications – showed the strongest growth over the reporting period (2013-2015). The gains in capital and people flows have been more modest, while the decline in the proportion of goods traded across borders – which began in 2012 – accelerated in 2015.