Saudi Arabia vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy over time
- Saudi Arabia
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 467.85 billion current US$ against 210.68 billion current US$ in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 257.17 billion current US$.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 2.2 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1964 it was Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 30th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 206 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 1 and Sub-Saharan Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 464.60 million current US$ | 4.47 billion current US$ | 4.01 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 1970s | 7.57 billion current US$ | 15.33 billion current US$ | 7.76 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 1980s | 27.73 billion current US$ | 26.90 billion current US$ | 832.20 million current US$ | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 27.47 billion current US$ | 47.77 billion current US$ | 20.30 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2000s | 59.10 billion current US$ | 173.51 billion current US$ | 114.41 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2010s | 141.25 billion current US$ | 376.09 billion current US$ | 234.83 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2020s | 169.16 billion current US$ | 411.64 billion current US$ | 242.48 billion current US$ | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise imports by the reporting economy, Saudi Arabia or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Sub-Saharan Africa, at 467.85 billion current US$ against 210.68 billion current US$ in Saudi Arabia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in merchandise imports by the reporting economy between Saudi Arabia and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 257.17 billion current US$, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1964 to 2023.
- How do Saudi Arabia and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 30th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.