Economy & TradeThe 2020s

Economy & Trade in the 2020s

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged economy and trade — trade, currency, industry and resources, narrowed to the 2020s — 10 of them, drawn from 10 nations, running from 2020 to 2026. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
10
Nations
10
Earliest
2020
Latest
2026
Asia
4
North America
2
South America
2
Africa
1
Europe
1

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. Africa

    Zambia

    Sovereign debt default

    Burdened by debt and falling revenues, Zambia became the first African country of the COVID-19 era to default on its Eurobonds after missing a coupon payment.

    Era: The republic: Humanism, multiparty politics and modern Zambia

    Sources: The Road to Zambia's 2020 Sovereign Debt Default · Finance for Development Lab, Zambia defaults, economically and politically · Institute for Security Studies

  2. North America

    El Salvador

    Bitcoin made legal tender

    El Salvador becomes the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender alongside the US dollar.

    Era: Postwar El Salvador and the Bukele Era

    Sources: Nayib Bukele · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  3. Asia

    Laos

    Laos-China Railway opens

    The 1,000-km railway linking Vientiane to Kunming begins operating, aiming to turn landlocked Laos into a land-linked hub of regional trade while deepening its debt to China.

    Era: The Lao People's Democratic Republic

    Sources: Lao PDR Overview · World Bank Group

  4. Asia

    Sri Lanka

    Economic crisis and sovereign default

    A foreign-exchange crisis forces Sri Lanka's first sovereign default; shortages and protests topple President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, leading to an IMF bailout and, in 2024, the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

    Era: Republic, Civil War and the Modern Nation

    Sources: Sri Lanka: Reconstruction and the modern nation · Encyclopædia Britannica

  5. Asia

    Uzbekistan

    End of systemic forced labour in cotton

    After sustained reforms and international monitoring, civil-society groups conclude that Uzbekistan has dismantled the systemic state-imposed forced labour in its cotton harvest.

    Era: Independent Uzbekistan

    Sources: Uzbekistan Ends Systemic Forced Labor, Civil Society Says · Human Rights Watch

  6. Europe

    Andorra

    Association agreement with the EU

    After concluding negotiations in 2023, the European Commission in 2024 proposed an association agreement to give Andorra (with San Marino) deep access to the EU single market, comparable to the European Economic Area.

    Era: A Sovereign Democracy in the Heart of Europe

    Sources: Proposal for the EU–Andorra Association Agreement (COM 2024/189) · EUR-Lex (European Commission), EU association agreement with Andorra and San Marino (briefing) · European Parliament

  7. North America

    Dominican Republic

    Among the region's top economies

    The Dominican Republic ranks among the fastest-growing economies in Latin America and the Caribbean, driven by tourism, manufacturing, mining, and remittances.

    Era: The Modern Tourism Republic

    Sources: Dominican Republic Overview · The World Bank

  8. South America

    Suriname

    GranMorgu oil decision

    TotalEnergies and APA take a final investment decision to develop the offshore GranMorgu field on Block 58, with first oil expected toward 2028.

    Era: Democracy, Diversity, and Oil

    Sources: Suriname: Final Investment Decision for the GranMorgu development on Block 58 · TotalEnergies

  9. Asia

    Tajikistan

    A remittance-dependent economy

    Remittances from Tajik labour migrants, mostly working in Russia, reach close to half of GDP — among the highest shares in the world — leaving the economy heavily exposed to external shocks.

    Era: The Rahmon Era and the Mountain Republic

    Sources: Tajikistan Economic Update 2025 · The World Bank, Labour Migration — IOM Tajikistan, UN Migration · International Organization for Migration (IOM)

  10. South America

    Falkland Islands

    Contested status and an oil prospect

    The islands remain a British Overseas Territory claimed by Argentina, with an economy led by fisheries and the prospect of Sea Lion offshore oil development.

    Era: Referendum, Fisheries and Oil to the Present

    Sources: Falkland Islands (Malvinas) — The United Nations and Decolonization · United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Sea Lion — North Falkland Basin (project overview) · Rockhopper Exploration plc