Ukraine’s Computer Services Exports: The United States Is the Largest Destination, Malta Second

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) publishes, as part of its balance-of-payments statistics, exports and imports of services by type and by trading partner. According to the annual file updated on September 18, 2026, exports of “computer services” totaled $6.655 billion in 2025. Of that, $2,392.4 million, or 35.9%, went to the United States. Second place went not to the United Kingdom or Germany but to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta ($578.0 million).

This article first checks what exactly this figure counts, then lays out the breakdown by trading partner and the trend since 2010. How this differs from other “IT” figures, such as the sector’s overall size or domestic value added, is covered in Ukraine’s Industries in Wartime.

What Counts as “Computer Services” — and What Does Not

According to the National Bank’s explanation of its methodology, the classification of services corresponds to the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010 (MSITS 2010), compiled by the United Nations and others. That manual defines computer services as “hardware- and software-related services and data-processing services.” Items listed as included are the development and supply of custom software made to order for a specific user, software and hardware consultancy and implementation, systems analysis, design, and programming (including web page development and design), maintenance, data processing, and hosting.

What is excluded is also fixed. License fees for the right to reproduce and distribute software are classified under “charges for the use of intellectual property,” and computer courses not aimed at a specific user are classified as educational services. The manual also distinguishes between the provision of services and the provision of labor: the principle that payments to a person in an employment relationship are treated not as a services transaction but as “compensation of employees.” Under this principle, the earnings of a person directly employed by and working for a foreign company do not count as computer services exports.

As for where the figures come from, the National Bank explains that its main sources are records of transactions with non-residents reported by banks (the international transactions reporting system) and the quarterly survey of services exports and imports conducted by the State Statistics Service. Figures from 2014 onward also do not include territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

The Trading Partner Is Determined by “Where the Counterparty Is a Resident”

MSITS 2010 recommends breaking down services trade by trading partner according to the “economy of residence” of the counterparty. In other words, the country names in the table show which country’s residents the buyers of services from Ukrainian companies and individuals were recorded as. They do not show the country where the software is actually used or where the final client’s headquarters is located. The reasons Malta and Cyprus rank highly cannot be read from this table.

The top 10 countries for 2025 total $5,331.3 million, about 80% of the whole. Japan does not have its own row in the table and is included under “other countries” ($104.9 million in 2025).

From $400 Million in 2010 to $6.9 Billion in 2021

Table 2.1 of the same file has yearly values from 2010 onward. Computer services exports were $404.0 million in 2010, $1,292.0 million in 2013, and $6,943.0 million in 2021 — about a 17-fold increase over the 11 years from 2010 to 2021. Their share of total services exports rose from 2.2% in 2010 to 37.8% in 2021 and 41.8% in 2025 (shares calculated by this article).

By country, the largest increase in dollar terms over this period was to the United States, from $263.2 million in 2011 to $2,728.4 million in 2021. Exports to Malta grew from $1.8 million in 2011 to $481.1 million in 2021, and to Cyprus from $22.1 million to $287.6 million.

After the Full-Scale Invasion: What Fell, What Rose

In 2022, the year Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, computer services exports were $7,329.0 million, the highest figure in the period for which statistics exist. They then moved to $6,727.0 million in 2023, $6,446.0 million in 2024, and $6,655.0 million in 2025.

Comparing 2021 and 2025, movements differ by trading partner. Exports to the United States fell 12.3%, to the United Kingdom 20.2%, and to Israel 21.1%. Meanwhile, exports to Cyprus rose 66.9%, to Estonia 65.6%, to Poland 90.3%, and to the United Arab Emirates 2.4-fold (rates calculated by this article). Exports to Russia, which stood at $50.7 million in 2021, fell to $7.7 million in 2022 and have been close to zero from 2023 onward (about $22,500 in 2023).

Figures for 2026 have also begun to appear. In the quarterly file updated the same day, January–March 2026 was $1,644.0 million and April–June was $1,699.0 million, for a first-half total of $3,343.0 million — about 4% more than the same period the previous year ($3,210.0 million). Note that this is the value as of the September 18, 2026 update and may be revised later.

Figures That Differ Even Within the Same File

There is one point to note when reading this. The National Bank notes at the beginning of the file that it revised the 2022–2024 services trade figures using updated information from the State Statistics Service, based on Law No. 4505 of July 3, 2025, which resumed the obligation to report statistics to state statistical bodies under martial law. Whether or not this is the cause is not explained, but 2022 computer services exports differ by $20 million within the same file — $7,329.0 million in Table 2.1, by type, versus $7,349.0 million in Table 2.3, by trading partner. Total 2023 services exports likewise differ: $16,617.0 million in Table 2.1 versus $16,602.0 million in Table 2.3.

The gap is small relative to the totals, but country-level figures can still move after they are first published. When citing them, it is safest to note which table and which update date the figure comes from.