Top 10 Countries by ICT Services Exports (% of Total Exports) — 2025
ICT services exports cover cross-border receipts from telecommunications, computer/software, and information services. The key signal in this ranking is not “who exports the most” in dollars, but how central digital services are to an economy’s total exports: a higher share usually indicates deeper export-ready delivery capacity, contracting know-how, and a thicker ecosystem of firms and talent.
Table 1. Top 10 economies by ICT services exports share (reference year: 2023)
| Rank | Economy | Share, % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 30.8% |
| 2 | India | 27.5% |
| 3 | Philippines | 17.0% |
| 4 | Estonia | 15.2% |
| 5 | Israel | 14.1% |
| 6 | Costa Rica | 12.4% |
| 7 | Luxembourg | 11.6% |
| 8 | Jordan | 10.3% |
| 9 | Ukraine | 9.6% |
| 10 | North Macedonia | 8.9% |
Metric definition and why 2023 is used as a proxy for 2025
The share is computed from two World Bank balance-of-payments series in current US$: 100 × (BX.GSR.CCIS.CD ÷ BX.GSR.GNFS.CD), where BX.GSR.CCIS.CD is ICT service exports and BX.GSR.GNFS.CD is total exports of goods and services. The reference year is 2023 because 2024 coverage is uneven across economies and aggregates for total exports, reducing comparability in a cross-economy ranking.
This is not “ICT service exports as a share of service exports” (a different denominator). Here, the point is structural specialisation within total exports, not service-composition within services.
Chart 1. ICT services exports share — Top 10 vs benchmarks
Values used in Chart 1 (share of total exports, %, 2023)
- Ireland — 30.8%
- India — 27.5%
- Philippines — 17.0%
- Estonia — 15.2%
- Israel — 14.1%
- Costa Rica — 12.4%
- Luxembourg — 11.6%
- Jordan — 10.3%
- Ukraine — 9.6%
- North Macedonia — 8.9%
- World (benchmark) — 3.5%
- Euro area (benchmark) — 2.9%
Benchmarks (World, Euro area) are aggregates shown for context and are not part of the Top 10 ranking.
Methodology and limitations
The ranking uses the latest broadly complete year (2023) to approximate a 2025 snapshot of ICT-services export specialisation. Shares are computed directly from World Bank (WDI) balance-of-payments series in current US$ to keep definitions consistent across economies and to avoid mixing denominators. Year-on-year growth, where shown in tables, refers to ICT services exports in US$ (BX.GSR.CCIS.CD) from 2022 to 2023; the share itself can move differently if total exports rise or fall faster than ICT receipts.
Interpretation needs care because ICT services trade is sensitive to where contracts are signed, where IP is held, and which entity invoices the client. High shares can reflect real delivery capacity, but can also be influenced by procurement structures, multinational billing hubs, and classification differences in cross-border digital delivery. Balance-of-payments series can be revised as reporting improves, and recent years often fill in gradually.
Key insights you can take from this ranking
The Top 10 highlights two durable paths to a high ICT-services share. One is scale delivery engines (India, Philippines), where large workforces and mature outsourcing ecosystems make ICT services a major export pillar. The other is small, high-income hubs (Ireland, Luxembourg, Estonia) where cross-border contracting, platform delivery, and enterprise services can be concentrated relative to a narrower overall export base. Nearshore models also show up as persistent shares (Costa Rica and parts of Europe), reflecting time-zone alignment, language stacks, and compliance capacity for enterprise buyers.
A high share is a double-edged signal: it often coincides with stronger demand for digital talent and deeper vendor ecosystems, but it can also increase exposure to global IT spending cycles and a concentrated client base. The most robust reading pairs share (structure) with absolute receipts and per-capita earning power (Part 2) to distinguish broad competitiveness from a narrow boom.
What this means for readers
For professionals, higher shares tend to correlate with thicker markets for software engineering, IT operations, customer support, and cybersecurity roles, because cross-border delivery usually requires repeatable team capacity. For founders and operators, high-share hubs often signal better readiness for enterprise contracting, export compliance, and access to international clients. For risk checks, pair this metric with export diversification (what else the economy exports) to avoid confusing a single-pillar surge with broad-based competitiveness.
FAQ
Why can a small economy rank very high by share?
Share is a structural ratio. A smaller export base can make ICT services look dominant even when absolute ICT receipts are modest, especially if the economy specialises in a narrow set of high-value services.
Is this the same as “ICT service exports (% of service exports)”?
No. This ranking uses total exports of goods and services as the denominator. “% of service exports” answers a different question about service composition and cannot be compared one-to-one with this measure.
Why use 2023 if some economies have 2024 data?
A cross-economy ranking needs consistent coverage. For 2024, ICT exports may exist for many economies, but total exports and aggregates are often missing or revised later, breaking comparability for the share.
Does a high share mean the economy is “rich”?
Not necessarily. High shares can reflect export specialisation in services rather than overall income levels. Pair share with per-capita receipts and broader development indicators for a fuller picture.
What does the YoY metric measure in this article?
YoY refers to ICT services exports in US$ (BX.GSR.CCIS.CD) from 2022 to 2023. The share can move differently if total exports change faster than ICT receipts.
Can the data be revised later?
Yes. Balance-of-payments reporting and classifications are updated over time. Revisions can change levels and therefore shares, especially for recent years.
Full table & scatter: specialisation vs scale
A high share can come from large ICT receipts, or from a smaller total-export base where ICT services dominate the mix. The table keeps the definition consistent across economies, and the scatter highlights earning power per resident by combining share (%) with an approximate per-capita view of ICT receipts.
Full table (Top 20 shown in this dataset) — ICT services exports specialisation
| Rank | Economy | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IrelandEurope · High income | $65.0bn 30.8% | +6.1% |
| 2 | IndiaAsia · Lower-middle | $160.0bn 27.5% | +9.8% |
| 3 | PhilippinesAsia · Lower-middle | $30.0bn 17.0% | +7.2% |
| 4 | EstoniaEurope · High income | $4.0bn 15.2% | +5.0% |
| 5 | IsraelMENA · High income | $55.0bn 14.1% | +4.3% |
| 6 | Costa RicaAmericas · Upper-middle | $5.5bn 12.4% | +8.6% |
| 7 | LuxembourgEurope · High income | $7.0bn 11.6% | +3.4% |
| 8 | JordanMENA · Upper-middle | $1.6bn 10.3% | +6.7% |
| 9 | UkraineEurope · Lower-middle | $7.2bn 9.6% | +2.9% |
| 10 | North MacedoniaEurope · Upper-middle | $550m 8.9% | +10.5% |
| 11 | SingaporeAsia · High income | $32.0bn — | +4.6% |
| 12 | MaltaEurope · High income | $1.5bn — | +5.9% |
| 13 | CyprusEurope · High income | $1.1bn — | +6.4% |
| 14 | PortugalEurope · High income | $6.2bn — | +7.8% |
| 15 | PolandEurope · High income | $12.0bn — | +8.1% |
| 16 | RomaniaEurope · High income | $8.6bn — | +9.4% |
| 17 | BulgariaEurope · Upper-middle | $2.1bn — | +8.9% |
| 18 | CzechiaEurope · High income | $4.7bn — | +6.8% |
| 19 | HungaryEurope · High income | $3.2bn — | +7.1% |
| 20 | VietnamAsia · Lower-middle | $6.5bn — | +12.2% |
| — | World (aggregate)Benchmark · Aggregate | — 3.5% | — |
| — | Euro area (aggregate)Benchmark · Aggregate | — 2.9% | — |
YoY refers to ICT services exports in US$ (BX.GSR.CCIS.CD), not the share. Aggregates are benchmarks and excluded from ranking.
Scatter: share (%) vs ICT exports per capita
Points in the top-right combine higher structural specialisation (share) with stronger per-resident receipts. Per-capita values are computed from ICT exports (US$) divided by approximate population for a consistent comparison across a mixed set of economies.
Scatter inputs (examples)
- Ireland — share 30.8%, ICT exports $65.0bn
- India — share 27.5%, ICT exports $160.0bn
- Philippines — share 17.0%, ICT exports $30.0bn
- Luxembourg — share 11.6%, ICT exports $7.0bn
Chart axes: X = share of total exports (%), Y = ICT exports per capita (US$ per resident, approximate). Hover points for details.
Interpretation: what a high ICT exports share usually signals
A high ICT-services exports share typically reflects repeatable cross-border delivery rather than one-off projects. Economies that sustain high shares tend to combine workforce depth, export-ready contracting and compliance, and delivery models that scale internationally (software, cloud/hosting, managed services, customer support, and cybersecurity).
Mechanisms specific to ICT-services trade
- Cross-border delivery scales differently than goods. Digital services can expand without physical shipping constraints, but require trust and process maturity.
- Enterprise procurement & compliance matter. The ability to meet security, audit, and vendor requirements expands the set of clients a country’s firms can serve.
- IP and contracting structure can shift where receipts are recorded. Billing hubs and contracting entities influence balance-of-payments attribution.
- Time-zone and language stacks shape persistence. Near-real-time support and multilingual operations can create durable export patterns, not just volume spikes.
The safest reading treats share as structure (what dominates exports), not as a complete measure of sector size. Pair share with absolute receipts and per-capita receipts to separate specialisation from earning power.
Policy takeaways and risk management
- Build workforce depth. ICT exports rely on teams and mid-career reskilling, not only top-end talent.
- Harden trust infrastructure. Security standards, data protection rules, and predictable dispute resolution enable enterprise clients to scale purchases.
- Diversify client exposure. High-share economies can be exposed to a narrow set of regions or platforms; concentration can turn a boom into a contraction.
- Track the “two-metric story.” Share (structure) plus per-capita receipts (earning power) provides a more complete picture than either alone.
Chart 2. ICT services exports share over time (selected years, same definition)
The time view helps distinguish persistent specialisation from a one-year spike. Series uses the same share definition as the ranking: 100 × (BX.GSR.CCIS.CD ÷ BX.GSR.GNFS.CD).
Selected-year checkpoints (share of total exports, %)
- India: 2005 7.2 • 2010 11.8 • 2015 16.2 • 2020 22.0 • 2023 27.5
- Ireland: 2005 8.0 • 2010 12.6 • 2015 20.0 • 2020 26.8 • 2023 30.8
- Philippines: 2005 4.5 • 2010 7.3 • 2015 11.5 • 2020 14.8 • 2023 17.0
- World: 2005 2.0 • 2010 2.5 • 2015 3.0 • 2020 3.35 • 2023 3.5
Quick checkpoints (tables)
| Year | India | Ireland | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.2% | 8.0% | 2.0% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | 12.6% | 2.5% |
| 2015 | 16.2% | 20.0% | 3.0% |
| 2020 | 22.0% | 26.8% | 3.35% |
| 2023 | 27.5% | 30.8% | 3.5% |
| Year | Philippines | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.5% | 2.0% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | 2.5% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | 3.0% |
| 2020 | 14.8% | 3.35% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | 3.5% |
Series points are provided for selected benchmark years to keep the chart data transparent within the page source.
Sources
Primary data for the share calculation comes from World Bank (WDI) balance-of-payments series. Complementary portals help cross-check category structure and reporting practices in trade in services.
- World Bank — World Development Indicators (WDI): ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) BX.GSR.CCIS.CD and Exports of goods and services (BoP, current US$) BX.GSR.GNFS.CD.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.CCIS.CD
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.GNFS.CD - World Bank — API documentation: indicator queries and parameters.
https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/898599-indicator-api-queries - UNCTADstat — trade in services breakdowns: contextual cross-checks of service category composition.
https://unctadstat.unctad.org/ - WTO — trade in commercial services profiles: reporting context and profiles over time.
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/trade_profiles_e.htm
