Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in IDA total
IDA total: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 15.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Food imports in IDA total, 1977–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
IDA total recorded 15.2% for food imports in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in IDA total peaked at 17.2% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 2005.
IDA total ranks 8th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in IDA total, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 15.4% | — |
| 1978 | 16.9% | +9.4% |
| 1979 | 17.2% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | -9.3% |
| 2001 | 16.2% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 14.8% | -10.9% |
| 2005 | 13.6% | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 14.3% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 15.3% | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 14.2% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | +17.8% |
| 2012 | 14.9% | -11.3% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 15.8% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 15.0% | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 16.8% | +17.7% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 15.2% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.5% | 15.4% | 17.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 14.2% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.9% | 14.9% | 16.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near IDA total
- 5 Djibouti 38.6% compare
- 6 Niger 37.9% compare
- 7 Benin 33.3% compare
- 8 Cape Verde 32.6% compare
- 9 Sierra Leone 32.3% compare
- 10 Haiti 31.9% compare
- 11 Sao Tome and Principe 31.8% compare
More private sector data for IDA total
- Merchandise trade 40.1% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 56.6% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 720.00 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 177.73 billion current US$ (2024)
- Food exports 22.6% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 26.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 565.68 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 141.85 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 284.71 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1771 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in IDA total?
- Food imports in IDA total was 15.2% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in IDA total?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 1979.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in IDA total?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 2005.
- How does IDA total rank for food imports?
- IDA total ranks 8th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in IDA total?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this IDA total data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a 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.