Food imports in Palestine
Palestine: Food imports was 30.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Palestine, 2000–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food imports in Palestine is 30.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 8.8% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Palestine peaked at 33.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.9%, in 2005.
That places Palestine 13th out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Food imports in Palestine, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.3% | — |
| 2001 | 25.8% | +10.7% |
| 2002 | 27.7% | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 27.3% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 25.5% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 21.9% | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 24.3% | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 23.2% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 24.1% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 22.1% | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 23.9% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 25.0% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | +11.9% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 27.9% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 29.2% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 30.2% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 33.7% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 31.7% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 28.4% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | +8.8% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 30.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.4%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 30.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 17.5%, 1.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.4% | 21.9% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.2% | 22.1% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.2% | 28.4% | 33.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
- 10 Sierra Leone 32.3% compare
- 11 Sao Tome and Principe 31.8% compare
- 12 Equatorial Guinea 31.8%
- 14 Aruba 30.7% compare
- 15 Sudan 29.9% compare
- 16 Samoa 29.6% compare
More private sector data for Palestine
- Manufactures imports 45.9% (2023)
- Food exports 21.4% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 63.3% (2023)
- Commercial service exports (current US$), per capita 103.2 current US$ per person (2025)
- Commercial service exports 558.70 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Transport services 47.1% (2025)
- Commercial service imports (current US$), per capita 227.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Computer, communications and other services 8.6% (2025)
- Commercial service imports 1.23 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Palestine?
- Food imports in Palestine was 30.9% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.9% in 2005.
- How does Palestine rank for food imports?
- Palestine ranks 13th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palestine 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 — 24 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.