Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 7.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) recorded 7.8% for food imports in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.7% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 15.5% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2006.
That places Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 43rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 10.0% | — |
| 1963 | 10.8% | +8.5% |
| 1964 | 11.3% | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 10.2% | -10.5% |
| 1966 | 9.9% | -2.9% |
| 1967 | 9.7% | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 8.8% | -8.6% |
| 1969 | 8.3% | -5.8% |
| 1970 | 9.3% | +11.4% |
| 1971 | 8.4% | -9.9% |
| 1972 | 9.0% | +7.2% |
| 1973 | 11.5% | +28.6% |
| 1974 | 13.0% | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | -16.3% |
| 1976 | 8.8% | -19.0% |
| 1977 | 11.1% | +25.6% |
| 1978 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 10.7% | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 13.5% | +26.2% |
| 1981 | 11.9% | -12.0% |
| 1982 | 10.7% | -10.1% |
| 1983 | 15.5% | +45.0% |
| 1984 | 13.3% | -14.1% |
| 1985 | 11.2% | -15.8% |
| 1986 | 11.0% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 10.1% | -8.5% |
| 1989 | 14.0% | +39.0% |
| 1990 | 12.7% | -9.0% |
| 1991 | 10.6% | -16.7% |
| 1992 | 9.6% | -9.6% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 9.7% | +6.3% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | -10.8% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +13.6% |
| 1997 | 8.4% | -15.0% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 8.2% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 7.2% | -11.2% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 8.5% | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -9.7% |
| 2005 | 6.9% | -9.8% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 8.2% | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | -11.1% |
| 2011 | 7.6% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | +16.2% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 9.1% | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 8.4% | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 8.4% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 8.3% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 7.8% | -6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.9% | 8.3% | 11.3% | 8 |
| 1970s | 10.4% | 8.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.4% | 10.1% | 15.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 9.6% | 8.2% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.5% | 7.1% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.8% | 9.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
More private sector data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Merchandise trade 43.4% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 77.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 1.40 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 298.09 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 23.6% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 53.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 1.37 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 214.53 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,178 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2093 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Food imports in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 7.8% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 1983.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2006.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for food imports?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 43rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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.