Computer, communications and other services (%) … imports in North America
North America: Computer, communications and other services (%) … imports was 41.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Computer, communications and other services in North America, 1970–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
North America recorded 41.8% for computer, communications and other services in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, computer, communications and other services in North America peaked at 54.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1981.
North America ranks 16th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Computer, communications and other services (%) … imports in North America, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12.8% | — |
| 1971 | 13.0% | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 13.4% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 13.6% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 12.7% | -6.0% |
| 1975 | 13.4% | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 14.0% | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 11.8% | -16.1% |
| 1978 | 12.3% | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 12.9% | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 12.2% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 11.0% | -9.4% |
| 1982 | 20.5% | +85.8% |
| 1983 | 18.5% | -9.6% |
| 1984 | 16.6% | -10.2% |
| 1985 | 16.3% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 18.6% | +14.6% |
| 1987 | 19.4% | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 21.4% | +10.3% |
| 1989 | 23.0% | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 22.1% | -4.0% |
| 1991 | 24.6% | +11.3% |
| 1992 | 24.4% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 24.8% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 25.9% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 27.0% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 28.4% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 28.6% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 29.2% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 31.7% | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 30.5% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 31.0% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 32.1% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 31.6% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 30.8% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 30.9% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 31.8% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 32.1% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 34.3% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 36.6% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 36.6% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 38.6% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 39.2% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 40.5% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 40.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 41.1% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 42.2% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 42.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 42.1% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 42.7% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 54.4% | +27.5% |
| 2021 | 52.0% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 44.6% | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 43.4% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 42.4% | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 41.8% | -1.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Computer, communications and other services (%) … imports in North America changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +85.8% | 11.0% | 20.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.0% | 11.8% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.8% | 11.0% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 22.1% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.2% | 30.5% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 36.6% | 42.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.4% | 41.8% | 54.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More private sector data for North America
- Merchandise trade 20.6% (2025)
- Food imports 7.1% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 78.2% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 4.09 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 1.05 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 51.8% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 2.74 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.39 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 7,145 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is computer, communications and other services in North America?
- Computer, communications and other services in North America was 41.8% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest computer, communications and other services recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 54.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest computer, communications and other services recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1981.
- How does North America rank for computer, communications and other services?
- North America ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is computer, communications and other services rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Computer, communications and other services include such activities as international telecommunications, and postal and courier services; computer data; news-related service transactions between residents and nonresidents; construction services; royalties and license fees; miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services; and personal, cultural, and recreational services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.