Food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Food exports was 4.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1974–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
In 2023, food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 4.1%.
That represents a change of up 10.1% on the previous year and up 40.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 8.3% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2000.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 45th out of 46 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 8.3% | — |
| 1975 | 7.8% | -5.5% |
| 1978 | 4.1% | -47.8% |
| 1979 | 4.5% | +10.9% |
| 1991 | 2.4% | -46.7% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +22.4% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | +70.0% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -47.4% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +14.0% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +41.7% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -26.9% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +26.6% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -9.2% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +28.8% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +23.8% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +14.4% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | -24.3% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | -9.5% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | +10.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.2% | 4.1% | 8.3% | 4 |
| 1990s | 3.3% | 2.4% | 5.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 2.7% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 5.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More private sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Merchandise trade 47.2% (2025)
- Food imports 11.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 1.70 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 23.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 1.79 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,163 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3487 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 2,055 current US$ per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Food exports in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 4.1% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food exports recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 1974.
- What is the lowest food exports recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2000.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for food exports?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 45th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is food exports rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.