Merchandise imports in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Merchandise imports was 23.01 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
23.01 billion current US$
Change on year
up 23.7%
World rank
82nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
23.01 billion current US$
in 2025
All-time low
88.00 million current US$
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Ethiopia, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise imports in Ethiopia stood at 23.01 billion current US$. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 23.7% on the previous year and up 37.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Ethiopia peaked at 23.01 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 88.00 million current US$, in 1960.
Ethiopia ranks 82nd of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 88.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 95.00 million current US$ | +8.0% |
| 1962 | 104.00 million current US$ | +9.5% |
| 1963 | 111.00 million current US$ | +6.7% |
| 1964 | 123.00 million current US$ | +10.8% |
| 1965 | 150.00 million current US$ | +22.0% |
| 1966 | 162.00 million current US$ | +8.0% |
| 1967 | 143.00 million current US$ | -11.7% |
| 1968 | 173.00 million current US$ | +21.0% |
| 1969 | 155.00 million current US$ | -10.4% |
| 1970 | 172.00 million current US$ | +11.0% |
| 1971 | 188.00 million current US$ | +9.3% |
| 1972 | 189.00 million current US$ | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 214.00 million current US$ | +13.2% |
| 1974 | 283.00 million current US$ | +32.2% |
| 1975 | 313.00 million current US$ | +10.6% |
| 1976 | 352.00 million current US$ | +12.5% |
| 1977 | 352.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 455.00 million current US$ | +29.3% |
| 1979 | 567.00 million current US$ | +24.6% |
| 1980 | 716.00 million current US$ | +26.3% |
| 1981 | 739.00 million current US$ | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 786.00 million current US$ | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 875.00 million current US$ | +11.3% |
| 1984 | 942.00 million current US$ | +7.7% |
| 1985 | 993.00 million current US$ | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 1.10 billion current US$ | +11.0% |
| 1987 | 1.07 billion current US$ | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.13 billion current US$ | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 943.00 million current US$ | -16.5% |
| 1990 | 1.08 billion current US$ | +14.6% |
| 1991 | 472.00 million current US$ | -56.3% |
| 1992 | 839.00 million current US$ | +77.8% |
| 1993 | 787.00 million current US$ | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 1.03 billion current US$ | +31.3% |
| 1995 | 1.15 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 1996 | 1.40 billion current US$ | +22.4% |
| 1997 | 1.11 billion current US$ | -20.6% |
| 1998 | 1.52 billion current US$ | +36.3% |
| 1999 | 1.54 billion current US$ | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.26 billion current US$ | -18.1% |
| 2001 | 1.81 billion current US$ | +43.7% |
| 2002 | 1.59 billion current US$ | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 2.69 billion current US$ | +68.5% |
| 2004 | 2.87 billion current US$ | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 4.09 billion current US$ | +42.5% |
| 2006 | 5.21 billion current US$ | +27.2% |
| 2007 | 5.81 billion current US$ | +11.6% |
| 2008 | 8.28 billion current US$ | +42.5% |
| 2009 | 7.67 billion current US$ | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 8.60 billion current US$ | +12.2% |
| 2011 | 8.90 billion current US$ | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 11.91 billion current US$ | +33.9% |
| 2013 | 12.07 billion current US$ | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 15.36 billion current US$ | +27.2% |
| 2015 | 16.70 billion current US$ | +8.8% |
| 2016 | 16.43 billion current US$ | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 15.76 billion current US$ | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 15.30 billion current US$ | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 14.55 billion current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 13.12 billion current US$ | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 15.97 billion current US$ | +21.8% |
| 2022 | 18.66 billion current US$ | +16.8% |
| 2023 | 17.25 billion current US$ | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 18.61 billion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 2025 | 23.01 billion current US$ | +23.7% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 23.01 billion current US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.66 billion current US$, 6.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 23.01 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 4.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 130.40 million current US$ | 88.00 million current US$ | 173.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 308.50 million current US$ | 172.00 million current US$ | 567.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 929.10 million current US$ | 716.00 million current US$ | 1.13 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.09 billion current US$ | 472.00 million current US$ | 1.54 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.13 billion current US$ | 1.26 billion current US$ | 8.28 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.56 billion current US$ | 8.60 billion current US$ | 16.70 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.77 billion current US$ | 13.12 billion current US$ | 23.01 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More private sector data for Ethiopia
- Merchandise trade 24.2% (2025)
- Food imports 13.8% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 69.2% (2023)
- Food exports 80.4% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 9.2% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 7.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 55.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.06 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 38.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 169.87 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Ethiopia?
- Merchandise imports in Ethiopia was 23.01 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.01 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.00 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Ethiopia rank for merchandise imports?
- Ethiopia ranks 82nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to 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. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.