Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana
Ghana: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy was 16.39 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
16.39 billion current US$
Change on year
down 10.6%
World rank
90th
of 206 countries
All-time high
18.32 billion current US$
in 2022
All-time low
269.30 million current US$
in 1972
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 16.39 billion current US$ for merchandise imports by the reporting economy in 2023.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and up 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana peaked at 18.32 billion current US$ in 2022 and was at its lowest, 269.30 million current US$, in 1972.
That places Ghana 90th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 331.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 367.60 million current US$ | +11.1% |
| 1962 | 310.50 million current US$ | -15.5% |
| 1963 | 328.60 million current US$ | +5.8% |
| 1964 | 300.10 million current US$ | -8.7% |
| 1965 | 376.60 million current US$ | +25.5% |
| 1966 | 311.90 million current US$ | -17.2% |
| 1967 | 288.60 million current US$ | -7.5% |
| 1968 | 285.20 million current US$ | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 323.14 million current US$ | +13.3% |
| 1970 | 380.19 million current US$ | +17.7% |
| 1971 | 393.85 million current US$ | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 269.30 million current US$ | -31.6% |
| 1973 | 405.39 million current US$ | +50.5% |
| 1974 | 740.51 million current US$ | +82.7% |
| 1975 | 740.95 million current US$ | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 788.91 million current US$ | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 979.24 million current US$ | +24.1% |
| 1978 | 884.27 million current US$ | -9.7% |
| 1979 | 808.71 million current US$ | -8.5% |
| 1980 | 1.09 billion current US$ | +35.3% |
| 1981 | 1.23 billion current US$ | +12.2% |
| 1982 | 985.33 million current US$ | -19.7% |
| 1983 | 722.34 million current US$ | -26.7% |
| 1984 | 551.64 million current US$ | -23.6% |
| 1985 | 779.37 million current US$ | +41.3% |
| 1986 | 744.92 million current US$ | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 1.06 billion current US$ | +42.2% |
| 1988 | 902.28 million current US$ | -14.8% |
| 1989 | 1.19 billion current US$ | +31.9% |
| 1990 | 1.57 billion current US$ | +32.3% |
| 1991 | 505.61 million current US$ | -67.9% |
| 1992 | 2.08 billion current US$ | +312.3% |
| 1993 | 2.03 billion current US$ | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 2.03 billion current US$ | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 2.51 billion current US$ | +23.6% |
| 1996 | 3.16 billion current US$ | +26.2% |
| 1997 | 3.34 billion current US$ | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 3.40 billion current US$ | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 3.23 billion current US$ | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 2.84 billion current US$ | -12.0% |
| 2001 | 3.09 billion current US$ | +8.8% |
| 2002 | 2.67 billion current US$ | -13.7% |
| 2003 | 3.19 billion current US$ | +19.8% |
| 2004 | 4.03 billion current US$ | +26.1% |
| 2005 | 4.88 billion current US$ | +21.0% |
| 2006 | 5.32 billion current US$ | +9.2% |
| 2007 | 7.28 billion current US$ | +36.7% |
| 2008 | 8.53 billion current US$ | +17.3% |
| 2009 | 6.44 billion current US$ | -24.6% |
| 2010 | 8.05 billion current US$ | +25.1% |
| 2011 | 12.60 billion current US$ | +56.5% |
| 2012 | 13.58 billion current US$ | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 12.79 billion current US$ | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 16.09 billion current US$ | +25.8% |
| 2015 | 14.10 billion current US$ | -12.4% |
| 2016 | 12.37 billion current US$ | -12.2% |
| 2017 | 12.73 billion current US$ | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 11.76 billion current US$ | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 10.46 billion current US$ | -11.1% |
| 2020 | 14.27 billion current US$ | +36.4% |
| 2021 | 17.83 billion current US$ | +24.9% |
| 2022 | 18.32 billion current US$ | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 16.39 billion current US$ | -10.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 16.39 billion current US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.62 billion current US$, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 16.39 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.61 billion current US$, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +312.3% | 505.61 million current US$ | 2.08 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 322.32 million current US$ | 285.20 million current US$ | 376.60 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 639.13 million current US$ | 269.30 million current US$ | 979.24 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 925.67 million current US$ | 551.64 million current US$ | 1.23 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.39 billion current US$ | 505.61 million current US$ | 3.40 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.83 billion current US$ | 2.67 billion current US$ | 8.53 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.45 billion current US$ | 8.05 billion current US$ | 16.09 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.70 billion current US$ | 14.27 billion current US$ | 18.32 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More private sector data for Ghana
- Merchandise trade 42.5% (2025)
- Food imports 13.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 51.5% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 17.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 18.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 6.0% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 31.11 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 887.14 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2724 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 62.31 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Ghana was 16.39 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 18.32 billion current US$ in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 269.30 million current US$ in 1972.
- How does Ghana rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Ghana ranks 90th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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.