Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in World
World: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 8.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Food imports in World, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
World recorded 8.9% for food imports in 2025.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in World peaked at 20.6% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 2006.
That places World 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in World, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 20.6% | — |
| 1963 | 19.9% | -3.1% |
| 1964 | 19.1% | -3.9% |
| 1965 | 18.5% | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 18.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 17.6% | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 16.6% | -5.9% |
| 1969 | 15.7% | -5.4% |
| 1970 | 15.3% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 15.1% | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 14.6% | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 15.1% | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 13.8% | -8.3% |
| 1975 | 14.2% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 12.7% | -10.1% |
| 1977 | 12.8% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 12.4% | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 11.4% | -7.9% |
| 1980 | 10.8% | -5.4% |
| 1981 | 10.7% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 10.6% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 11.0% | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 10.5% | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 9.5% | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 9.9% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 9.7% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 8.6% | -10.8% |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 8.6% | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | -4.5% |
| 1994 | 8.5% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 8.4% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 8.6% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | -11.9% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 7.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 6.2% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 7.5% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 7.8% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 8.0% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 9.2% | +11.3% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 8.8% | +5.6% |
| 2024 | 9.0% | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 8.9% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.3% | 15.7% | 20.6% | 8 |
| 1970s | 13.7% | 11.4% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.3% | 9.5% | 11.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 8.4% | 7.9% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.0% | 6.2% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.4% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 8.3% | 9.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
- 27 Seychelles 26.1% compare
- 28 Iran 26.1% compare
- 29 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 26.0% compare
- 30 Saint Kitts and Nevis 25.4% compare
- 31 Turks and Caicos Islands 25.3% compare
- 32 Cuba 25.2% compare
- 33 Dominica 25.2% compare
More private sector data for World
- Merchandise trade 43.9% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 68.2% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 26.69 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 8.66 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 9.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 69.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 26.39 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 9.48 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 3,212 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.223 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in World?
- Food imports in World was 8.9% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 1962.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 2006.
- How does World rank for food imports?
- World ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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 — 62 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.