This Statistics Brief describes longer-term developments in the different transport modes, as measured by data collected by the International Transport Forum at the OECD. General observations include:

• Following the economic crisis and the collapse of world trade in 2009, most regions embarked on the path of recovery in 2010. Global trade volumes transported by sea and air rebounded strongly. 
• Due to continuous economic uncertainty, mainly in developed economies, growth slowed in 2011 while preliminary data for 2012 shows further weakening. 
• There is a marked difference in transport growth between emerging and advanced economies, with emerging economies continuing to outperform developed markets.