The study analyzes the global processes of development of decorative and applied arts in the context of the creative economy and cultural globalization. The main types of decorative and applied arts (in particular, textiles and embroidery, ceramics, wood carving, jewelry, weaving and decorative painting) are systematized and the specifics of their transformation in the context of globalization are analyzed. It is explored how traditional crafts are integrated into global markets, transformed under the influence of digital platforms, and respond to economic and social crises. The empirical basis is data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development statistical database for 2002–2024, which allows us to trace the dynamics of international trade in creative goods in regional and global dimensions. The paper combines quantitative statistical analysis (trends and correlations) with qualitative interpretation through case studies of different regions of the world — Asia, Europe, Africa, Ukraine and the global digital environment. The results show a high level of global synchronization of import flows of creative goods and, at the same time, a significant asymmetry in export structures between regions. It was found that digitalization and platformization significantly strengthened the integration of handicraft practices into global markets, but at the same time contributed to the standardization of cultural products.
