We show that digital technologies may decrease the relevance of distance, be it geographical, linguistic or regulatory, and that they also facilitate searches for products, introduce mechanisms to verify quality and reputation, and simplify cross-border transactions. The costs are calculated as a ratio between international and domestic trade. A decline in this ratio means that international trade grew faster than domestic trade, which is an indication that the world has become more globalized and that obstacles to international trade have declined. On average this decline was around 15 per cent between 1996 and 2014.