World Trade Organization

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

garment factory, Vietnam

World Trade Organization protest

For Students

World Trade Organization summary

Read Next

Sydney Opera House, Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

Why New York Is Called "The Big Apple" and How 8 Other Famous Cities Got Their Nicknames

A soldier standing guard in a Washington, D.C. street with the ruins of buildings that were destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 8, 1968.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On: Riots in U.S. History (Part Two)

Discover

Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Ethel Rosenberg arrested in August 1950. Photograph dated Aug. 8, 1950. American civilians executed for espionage. Spies, communists, Julius Rosenberg

Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game

Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant

7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.

6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

World Trade Organization: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

World trade chief says global free trade is in a crisis while on visit to Japan • May 13, 2025, 9:28 AM ET (AP)

China seeks a united front with Latin America in countering Trump's trade war • May 13, 2025, 5:19 AM ET (AP)

The EU publishes a US product hit list and prepares for WTO action against Trump's tariffs • May 8, 2025, 2:24 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	WTO
Date	January 5, 1995 - present
Headquarters	Geneva
Areas Of Involvement	international trade • globalization
Related People	Peter Mandelson • Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala • Renato Ruggiero • Tsai Ing-wen

Photos

garment factory, Vietnam

World Trade Organization protest

See All Images →

Topics

European Union United Nations North Atlantic Treaty Organization OPEC Commonwealth World Health Organization League of Nations United Nations Security Council ASEAN International Organization for Standardization

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Quiz

green and blue stock market ticker stock ticker. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, financial crisis wall street markets finance stock exchange

Economics News