Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise imports was 501.15 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
501.15 billion current US$
Change on year
up 7.7%
Rank
33rd
of 47 groups
All-time high
501.15 billion current US$
in 2025
All-time low
5.57 billion current US$
in 1962
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 501.15 billion current US$ for merchandise imports in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and up 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 501.15 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.57 billion current US$, in 1962.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 33rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.64 billion current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 5.71 billion current US$ | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 5.57 billion current US$ | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 6.05 billion current US$ | +8.6% |
| 1964 | 7.13 billion current US$ | +17.8% |
| 1965 | 7.91 billion current US$ | +11.0% |
| 1966 | 7.77 billion current US$ | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 8.30 billion current US$ | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 8.59 billion current US$ | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 9.42 billion current US$ | +9.7% |
| 1970 | 11.25 billion current US$ | +19.4% |
| 1971 | 13.15 billion current US$ | +16.9% |
| 1972 | 12.93 billion current US$ | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 16.58 billion current US$ | +28.2% |
| 1974 | 23.80 billion current US$ | +43.6% |
| 1975 | 29.03 billion current US$ | +22.0% |
| 1976 | 29.88 billion current US$ | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 34.80 billion current US$ | +16.5% |
| 1978 | 41.52 billion current US$ | +19.3% |
| 1979 | 42.40 billion current US$ | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 67.42 billion current US$ | +59.0% |
| 1981 | 74.38 billion current US$ | +10.3% |
| 1982 | 61.87 billion current US$ | -16.8% |
| 1983 | 52.96 billion current US$ | -14.4% |
| 1984 | 48.32 billion current US$ | -8.8% |
| 1985 | 43.61 billion current US$ | -9.7% |
| 1986 | 42.66 billion current US$ | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 48.03 billion current US$ | +12.6% |
| 1988 | 53.76 billion current US$ | +11.9% |
| 1989 | 54.61 billion current US$ | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 58.23 billion current US$ | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 60.03 billion current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 62.80 billion current US$ | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 61.34 billion current US$ | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 64.43 billion current US$ | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 79.01 billion current US$ | +22.6% |
| 1996 | 80.48 billion current US$ | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 87.24 billion current US$ | +8.4% |
| 1998 | 83.50 billion current US$ | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 80.39 billion current US$ | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 82.30 billion current US$ | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 86.64 billion current US$ | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 85.51 billion current US$ | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 110.82 billion current US$ | +29.6% |
| 2004 | 141.68 billion current US$ | +27.8% |
| 2005 | 174.39 billion current US$ | +23.1% |
| 2006 | 209.84 billion current US$ | +20.3% |
| 2007 | 255.39 billion current US$ | +21.7% |
| 2008 | 318.27 billion current US$ | +24.6% |
| 2009 | 268.18 billion current US$ | -15.7% |
| 2010 | 315.94 billion current US$ | +17.8% |
| 2011 | 391.99 billion current US$ | +24.1% |
| 2012 | 414.70 billion current US$ | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 434.53 billion current US$ | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 441.58 billion current US$ | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 381.66 billion current US$ | -13.6% |
| 2016 | 332.86 billion current US$ | -12.8% |
| 2017 | 340.00 billion current US$ | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 383.28 billion current US$ | +12.7% |
| 2019 | 384.05 billion current US$ | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 320.11 billion current US$ | -16.6% |
| 2021 | 405.92 billion current US$ | +26.8% |
| 2022 | 486.98 billion current US$ | +20.0% |
| 2023 | 475.59 billion current US$ | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 465.20 billion current US$ | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 501.15 billion current US$ | +7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.21 billion current US$ | 5.57 billion current US$ | 9.42 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.53 billion current US$ | 11.25 billion current US$ | 42.40 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.76 billion current US$ | 42.66 billion current US$ | 74.38 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.75 billion current US$ | 58.23 billion current US$ | 87.24 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 173.30 billion current US$ | 82.30 billion current US$ | 318.27 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 382.06 billion current US$ | 315.94 billion current US$ | 441.58 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 442.49 billion current US$ | 320.11 billion current US$ | 501.15 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 30 Austria 228.39 billion current US$ compare
- 31 Sweden 200.98 billion current US$ compare
- 32 Ireland 159.22 billion current US$ compare
- 33 Hungary 159.20 billion current US$ compare
- 34 Romania 146.04 billion current US$ compare
- 35 Philippines 141.20 billion current US$ compare
- 36 Denmark 136.23 billion current US$ compare
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Food exports 14.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 368.33 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2201 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 379.19 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa was 501.15 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 501.15 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.57 billion current US$ in 1962.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise imports?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 33rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.