South Asia opens up: How trade reforms impact households and sectors Hagen KruseFranziska Ohnsorge May 28, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/south-asia-trade-reforms-impact-households-and-sectors Over the next decade, about 280 million people will come of working age in South Asia. The region needs a robust growth engine to create jobs for these labor market entrants. International trade emerges as a promising source to boost economic growth. South Asia has long been the least open emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) region to global trade. In 2024, exports of goods represented only around 12 percent of GDP in South Asia—about half the share in other EMDEs. In part, this reflects the region’s exceptionally high import tariffs, with domestic manufacturing firms facing average tariffs on intermediate inputs that are more than double those in other EMDEs © 2026 World Bank Group,