Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Small states
Small states: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 16.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Small states, 1995–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food imports in Small states is 16.1%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Small states peaked at 16.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 2006.
That places Small states 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 15.8% | — |
| 1996 | 16.3% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 16.3% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 14.8% | -7.4% |
| 2000 | 13.0% | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 14.1% | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 14.3% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 13.4% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 16.0% | +16.1% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 14.5% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 14.9% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 15.8% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 16.8% | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.1% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 16.0% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 16.1% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.8% | 14.8% | 16.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 12.2% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.0% | 14.2% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 15.9% | 16.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
- 3 Guinea-Bissau 41.7% compare
- 4 Kiribati 41.4% compare
- 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
More private sector data for Small states
- Merchandise trade 70.4% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 61.4% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 141.38 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 87.95 billion current US$ (2024)
- Food exports 17.2% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 43.9% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 100.88 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 121.16 billion current US$ (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,958 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2991 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Small states?
- Food imports in Small states was 16.1% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 2006.
- How does Small states rank for food imports?
- Small states ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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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CSV · JSON — 31 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 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.