The world market and its resource potential under conditions of an asymmetric global economy

<jats:p>The article provides a comprehensive study of the world market as a multi-level system of exchange in goods, services, capital, technologies, information and strategic resources under conditions of deepening asymmetries in the global economy. It is substantiated that the resource potential of the world market should be interpreted not only as the aggregate of natural, raw-material, energy, food, labor, financial and digital-technological resources, but also as the capacity of the world economic system to mobilize, redistribute, process and use these resources within global value chains. It is argued that the modern asymmetric global economy is marked by a simultaneous increase in aggregate resource potential and a growing unevenness of access to it. Based on data, the article analyses empirical indicators of world market development, including the value of global trade in goods and services, the dynamics of commercial and digitally delivered services, the structure of global energy supply, the concentration of critical mineral mining and refining, the state of cereal markets and the digital divide. The findings show that global trade reached a record USD 33 trillion in 2024 and that trade in goods and commercial services increased to USD 34.65 trillion in 2025. However, this growth is accompanied by regional, technological and resource asymmetries. The key manifestations of such asymmetry include the dominance of specific regions in merchandise trade growth, the high concentration of critical mineral refining, the continued dependence of the energy system on fossil fuels, unequal digital access, and widening trade imbalances. The article systematizes the components of the world market’s resource potential and identifies directions for its more balanced use through supply diversification, circular economy models, digital inclusion, food security, and the renewal of multilateral regulatory mechanisms. Keywords: world market, resource potential, asymmetric global economy, global value chains, critical minerals, energy security, digital divide, international trade.</jats:p>