* World exports rose 15 pct nominal in 2008, real 2 pct
* World merchandise exports totalled $15.78 trillion in 2008
* Trade contraction in 2009 confirmed at real 10 pct
By Jonathan Lynn
GENEVA, July 22 (Reuters) - World exports of merchandise goods grew 15 percent in nominal terms in 2008 to $15.78 trillion, while exports of services rose 11 percent to $3.73 trillion, the World Trade Organisation said on Wednesday.
In its latest World Trade Report, the WTO gave no forecast for trade this year, but in June, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told Reuters the WTO had revised its forecast for the contraction in world trade volume this year from 9 percent to 10 percent.
That figure was confirmed in a press release issued on Wednesday, which said however the contraction appeared to be slowing.
"The response of governments around the world will play a big part in determining the magnitude of this decline and its duration," the WTO said in the release.
Lamy and WTO Chief Economist Patrick Low are due to comment on the report at a news conference in Singapore on Wednesday.
The WTO report noted that trade rose 2 percent in real or volume terms in 2008 after rising 6 percent in 2007.
"However, trade still managed to grow more than global output, as is usually the case when production growth is positive," it said. "Conversely, when output growth is declining, trade growth tends to fall even more, as is evident in 2009".
The share of developing country exports in world trade rose to a record 38 percent in 2008, the WTO said.
Germany retained its position as the world's leading merchandise exporter last year, with exports of $1.47 trillion, slightly larger than China's $1.43 trillion.
China's export performance faltered at the end of 2008. Its exports to the United States rose only one percent over the whole year after growth of 14 percent in the third quarter.
The United States was the biggest importer, bringing in $2.17 trillion of merchandise goods, 13.2 percent of the total, followed by Germany with a 7.3 percent share of $1.21 trillion.
Total world imports rose 15 percent to $16.12 trillion, giving a $345 billion discrepancy with exports, due to different ways of measuring imports and exports, the WTO data show.
The severity of the slowdown was reflected in a fall of 23 percent in air cargo traffic in December compared with a year earlier, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures, the WTO said.
The decline recorded in September 2001, when most of the world's aircraft were temporarily grounded following the attacks on the United States, was only 14 percent. (For the full WTO report go to www.wto.org)