Global Counterfeit Trade Continues Steady Climb, OECD Claims

A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU Intellectual Property Office ¹, have revealed that, in 2021, global trade in counterfeit goods was valued at approximately $467 billion, or 2.3% of total global imports. This absolute value represents an increase from 2019, when counterfeit trade was at $464 billion, although its relative share decreased compared to 2019 when it accounted for 2.5% of world trade. For imports into the EU, the value of counterfeits was estimated at $117 billion, or 4.7% of total EU imports.

Counterfeiting affects nearly 50 out of 96 product categories, with high-value goods such as clothing, footwear, leather goods, and electronics the top targets, says the report.

Trade routes continue to evolve as counterfeiters use international waterways such as the Danube River to move goods and adopt ‘localisation’ strategies to produce fakes closer to end markets. Free trade zones, which benefit from reduced oversight, play a pivotal role in this trend. Localisation tactics, such as importing unassembled components or separate packaging with a view to producing or assembling counterfeit goods close to or within the destination market, complicate enforcement efforts and require new strategies for detection.