Food imports in Viet Nam
Viet Nam: Food imports was 8.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Viet Nam, 1997–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Viet Nam recorded 8.8% for food imports in 2023. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Viet Nam peaked at 8.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1997.
That places Viet Nam 167th out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Food imports in Viet Nam, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 4.9% | — |
| 1998 | 5.1% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +14.8% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | -11.3% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | +20.3% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 6.3% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | +16.6% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 7.8% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 8.3% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 8.5% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 8.8% | +3.5% |
Viet Nam compared with similar countries
- Viet Nam's 8.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.6%, 56% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Viet Nam's 8.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.8%, 69% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.2% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.5% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Viet Nam
More private sector data for Viet Nam
- Merchandise trade 180.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 74.7% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 453.78 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 9.4% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 85.0% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 472.93 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,655 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9188 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 16.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 4,466 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Viet Nam?
- Food imports in Viet Nam was 8.8% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Viet Nam?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Viet Nam?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1997.
- How does Viet Nam rank for food imports?
- Viet Nam ranks 167th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Viet Nam?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Viet Nam 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 — 27 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.