Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy was 290.44 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
290.44 billion current US$
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
39th
of 47 groups
All-time high
291.06 billion current US$
in 2022
All-time low
992.00 million current US$
in 1960
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 290.44 billion current US$ for merchandise imports by the reporting economy in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 291.06 billion current US$ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 992.00 million current US$, in 1960.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 992.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 1.01 billion current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 1.13 billion current US$ | +10.9% |
| 1963 | 1.37 billion current US$ | +22.2% |
| 1964 | 2.01 billion current US$ | +46.5% |
| 1965 | 2.29 billion current US$ | +13.5% |
| 1966 | 2.27 billion current US$ | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 2.24 billion current US$ | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 2.64 billion current US$ | +17.9% |
| 1969 | 2.81 billion current US$ | +6.7% |
| 1970 | 3.22 billion current US$ | +14.6% |
| 1971 | 3.39 billion current US$ | +5.1% |
| 1972 | 3.84 billion current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1973 | 4.48 billion current US$ | +16.7% |
| 1974 | 6.25 billion current US$ | +39.4% |
| 1975 | 6.26 billion current US$ | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 5.37 billion current US$ | -14.2% |
| 1977 | 6.38 billion current US$ | +18.7% |
| 1978 | 6.66 billion current US$ | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 7.03 billion current US$ | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 9.71 billion current US$ | +38.2% |
| 1981 | 12.50 billion current US$ | +28.7% |
| 1982 | 10.92 billion current US$ | -12.6% |
| 1983 | 9.52 billion current US$ | -12.8% |
| 1984 | 9.44 billion current US$ | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 9.68 billion current US$ | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 9.76 billion current US$ | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 11.44 billion current US$ | +17.2% |
| 1988 | 12.30 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1989 | 14.00 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 15.36 billion current US$ | +9.8% |
| 1991 | 14.25 billion current US$ | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 15.74 billion current US$ | +10.5% |
| 1993 | 14.04 billion current US$ | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 15.80 billion current US$ | +12.5% |
| 1995 | 18.89 billion current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1996 | 19.25 billion current US$ | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 20.78 billion current US$ | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 49.08 billion current US$ | +136.2% |
| 1999 | 45.52 billion current US$ | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 55.39 billion current US$ | +21.7% |
| 2001 | 54.30 billion current US$ | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 56.96 billion current US$ | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 72.82 billion current US$ | +27.9% |
| 2004 | 89.62 billion current US$ | +23.1% |
| 2005 | 113.67 billion current US$ | +26.8% |
| 2006 | 138.93 billion current US$ | +22.2% |
| 2007 | 169.07 billion current US$ | +21.7% |
| 2008 | 206.16 billion current US$ | +21.9% |
| 2009 | 174.33 billion current US$ | -15.4% |
| 2010 | 194.31 billion current US$ | +11.5% |
| 2011 | 241.72 billion current US$ | +24.4% |
| 2012 | 259.50 billion current US$ | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 264.83 billion current US$ | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 267.83 billion current US$ | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 237.66 billion current US$ | -11.3% |
| 2016 | 201.59 billion current US$ | -15.2% |
| 2017 | 219.74 billion current US$ | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 239.30 billion current US$ | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 231.57 billion current US$ | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 199.84 billion current US$ | -13.7% |
| 2021 | 244.06 billion current US$ | +22.1% |
| 2022 | 291.06 billion current US$ | +19.3% |
| 2023 | 290.44 billion current US$ | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.88 billion current US$ | 992.00 million current US$ | 2.81 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.29 billion current US$ | 3.22 billion current US$ | 7.03 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.93 billion current US$ | 9.44 billion current US$ | 14.00 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.87 billion current US$ | 14.04 billion current US$ | 49.08 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 113.12 billion current US$ | 54.30 billion current US$ | 206.16 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 235.81 billion current US$ | 194.31 billion current US$ | 267.83 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 256.35 billion current US$ | 199.84 billion current US$ | 291.06 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
- 36 Denmark 120.45 billion current US$ compare
- 37 Portugal 113.59 billion current US$ compare
- 38 Slovakia 113.39 billion current US$ compare
- 39 South Africa 112.46 billion current US$ compare
- 40 Norway 96.77 billion current US$ compare
- 41 Greece 88.37 billion current US$ compare
- 42 Finland 82.82 billion current US$ compare
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$), annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Africa Eastern and Southern was 290.44 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 291.06 billion current US$ in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 992.00 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). 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 imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.