Globalization remains resilient despite rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around trade policies, according to the latest DHL Global Connectedness Report 2026, which shows that several Sub-Saharan African economies are among the world’s fastest-improving in global connectedness.
The report, published by DHL Group in partnership with the New York University Stern School of Business, draws on more than 9 million data points tracking international flows of trade, capital, information, and people.
It finds that the world’s level of globalization reached 25% in 2025, matching the record high first achieved in 2022, suggesting that cross-border economic activity has remained remarkably stable despite growing political and economic uncertainty.
Sub-Saharan Africa gains momentum in global flows
Against this global backdrop, the report highlights a gradual but meaningful strengthening of global linkages across parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Countries such as Namibia and Mozambique rank among the strongest long-term improvers in global connectedness since 2001. More recently, Nigeria and Zambia have recorded some of the largest gains since 2022, reflecting rising trade, investment, and people flows.
According to Hennie Heymans, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Express Sub‑Saharan Africa, strengthening global links is increasingly becoming a critical competitive advantage for countries and businesses.
“As supply chains across the globe continue to develop and trade routes expand into new territories, connectedness is emerging as a key differentiator for businesses and nations alike,” he said.
Heymans noted that African economies strengthening their international ties are becoming more visible within global trade networks, reflecting what he described as a broader shift in the region’s economic narrative from aid toward trade.
Tourism and people flows rebound
Beyond trade and investment flows, the report also finds that international travel has fully recovered from the collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data cited from the United Nations shows that Africa recorded a 17% increase in international tourist arrivals in 2025 compared with 2019, making it the second-fastest-growing region globally after the Middle East.
Globalization remains resilient
The report measures globalization on a scale from 0%, representing a world with no cross-border flows, to 100%, where borders and distance no longer matter. At 25%, the current level underscores that while globalization remains strong, the world is still far from being fully integrated.
According to John Pearson, Chief Executive Officer of DHL Express, the persistence of global integration demonstrates its continuing importance to economies and societies.
“From poverty to climate change, the world’s biggest challenges can only be solved through global thinking,” Pearson said, noting that global supply chains continue to connect markets, businesses and people even in uncertain times.
No major split in the global economy
Despite geopolitical tensions, particularly between the United States and China, the report finds little evidence that the world economy is fragmenting into rival blocs.
Over the past decade, only 4–6% of global goods trade, greenfield foreign direct investment, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions have shifted away from geopolitical rivals. Much of these flows have moved instead toward countries with more flexible geopolitical positions, including India and Vietnam.
Steven A. Altman, Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalization at NYU Stern’s Center for the Future of Management, said the politics of globalization are often more volatile than the actual economic flows.
“The risks to globalization are real, but so is the resilience of global flows,” he said.
Country rankings
The report ranks the connectedness of 180 economies, accounting for nearly the entire global economy. In the 2024 ranking cited in the report, South Africa placed 53rd globally.
Other Sub-Saharan African economies with relatively higher rankings include Seychelles (40th), Mauritius (65th), Namibia (68th), Ghana (97th), Nigeria (100th), Mozambique (107th), and Kenya (119th).
First published in 2011, the DHL Global Connectedness Report analyses 14 different types of international flows and provides detailed country profiles outlining how nations participate in global trade, investment, information exchange and human mobility.
The 2026 edition covers 180 countries representing 99.6% of global GDP and 99% of the world’s population, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of globalization currently available.
