Ranked: Number of Trade Agreements Across 30 Economies

Fueled by post-Brexit trade agreements, the UK leads its peers with 39 deals. How do other economies from this year’s Sustainable Trade Index stack up?

This visualization, created in partnership with Hinrich Foundation, shows the number of trade agreements each country has in place, using data from the World Trade Organization.

The analysis comes from the 2025 Sustainable Trade Index (STI), which the Hinrich Foundation produced in collaboration with the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

What Is a Trade Agreement?

A trade agreement is a pact between countries that sets rules for cross-border trade. These deals lower barriers like tariffs and quotas, making trade more predictable and encouraging investment.

Types include bilateral (two countries) and multilateral (three or more). They range from free trade agreements that reduce tariffs, to customs unions with shared external policies, and economic unions (like the European Union) with deeper integration.

Countries with the Most Trade Agreements

Of the 30 countries tracked by the STI, there is a huge range in terms of number of trade agreements. 

The UK ranks first with 39 agreements. The country focused on building trade ties with non-EU nations after voting to leave the bloc in 2016.

Rank	Country	Regional Trade Agreements (number)
1	UK	39
2	Chile	31
3	Singapore	28
4	Mexico	23
4	South Korea	23
6	Peru	21
7	China	20
8	Australia	19
8	India	19
10	Japan	18
11	Malaysia	17
12	Indonesia	16
12	Vietnam	16
14	Canada	15
14	New Zealand	15
14	Thailand	15
17	U.S.	14
18	Brunei	11
18	Philippines	11
18	Russia	11
21	Cambodia	10
21	Laos	10
21	Pakistan	10
24	Ecuador	9
24	Myanmar	9
26	Hong Kong	8
27	Papua New Guinea	6
27	Sri Lanka	6
29	Bangladesh	5
30	Taiwan	4

Chile ranks second with 31 agreements. Singapore follows in third place with 28 agreements. Both countries are small and depend heavily on imports.

Canada ranks 14^th with 15 agreements. The U.S. ranks 17^th with 14 agreements. Both countries sit in the middle of the pack.

Countries with the Least Trade Agreements

Several countries in the STI show limited openness to trade.

Taiwan ranks last with only 4 agreements. Bangladesh follows closely with 5 agreements. Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea each hold 6 agreements.

Russia maintains 11 agreements despite heightened geopolitical tensions. It ranks 18^th overall.

Explore the Sustainable Trade Index

This infographic was just a small subset of what the Sustainable Trade Index has to offer. To learn more, visit the Hinrich Foundation, where you can download additional resources including the entire report for free.

Visit the Hinrich Foundation to download the entire report, for free.