Growth in global trade is expected to slow to 6.5 percent this year after a record-breaking expansion of 14.5 percent in 2010, the World Trade Organization said Thursday.

Last year's gain came in a recovery from a record slump of 12 percent in 2009 as the global financial crisis sapped growth, meaning all the lost ground was not made up, WTO data showed.

"Large gaps remain on where we are now and where we would have been had the crisis not happened. This gap is likely to persist for some time," WTO head Pascal Lamy said.

While overall world trade is continuing to post above average growth in 2011, downside risks are significant, the WTO added.

channelnewsasia.com