Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region was 23.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern is 23.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 14.8% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 28.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1960.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 3rd of 46 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.5% | — |
| 1961 | 5.7% | +26.5% |
| 1962 | 6.1% | +7.2% |
| 1963 | 7.5% | +22.9% |
| 1964 | 13.0% | +73.6% |
| 1965 | 15.8% | +20.8% |
| 1966 | 10.7% | -32.3% |
| 1967 | 7.6% | -28.7% |
| 1968 | 10.8% | +41.9% |
| 1969 | 13.1% | +21.3% |
| 1970 | 13.8% | +5.4% |
| 1971 | 12.8% | -7.0% |
| 1972 | 16.5% | +28.6% |
| 1973 | 16.4% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 16.2% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 10.4% | -36.0% |
| 1976 | 8.0% | -22.8% |
| 1977 | 6.9% | -14.1% |
| 1978 | 8.0% | +17.0% |
| 1979 | 9.6% | +19.6% |
| 1980 | 10.9% | +12.9% |
| 1981 | 13.1% | +21.0% |
| 1982 | 11.1% | -15.6% |
| 1983 | 10.1% | -8.9% |
| 1984 | 9.7% | -4.3% |
| 1985 | 8.4% | -13.1% |
| 1986 | 9.6% | +14.7% |
| 1987 | 9.2% | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 9.4% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 9.3% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 11.0% | +17.6% |
| 1991 | 8.6% | -21.4% |
| 1992 | 9.2% | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 12.1% | +31.5% |
| 1994 | 14.9% | +23.4% |
| 1995 | 14.6% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 15.2% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 14.3% | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 16.5% | +15.5% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 17.7% | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 15.9% | -9.8% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | +13.4% |
| 2003 | 17.6% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 16.6% | -12.8% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -12.8% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | +9.4% |
| 2008 | 15.7% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 19.4% | +23.9% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | +16.2% |
| 2011 | 22.5% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 23.6% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 24.2% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 25.0% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 28.9% | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 24.0% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 24.0% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 23.5% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 23.8% | +14.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.5% | 4.5% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.9% | 6.9% | 16.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.1% | 8.4% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.3% | 8.6% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.0% | 14.5% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 22.5% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 20.8% | 23.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More private sector data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Merchandise trade 45.4% (2025)
- Food imports 10.9% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 60.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 337.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.5% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 26.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 282.56 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 358.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.208 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region in Africa Eastern and Southern was 23.8% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1960.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 3rd out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region are the sum of merchandise exports from the reporting economy to other low- and middle-income economies in the same World Bank region as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data. No figures are shown for high-income economies, because they are a separate category in the World Bank classification of economies.