Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World was 15.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 15.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 44.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 17.2% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1966.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.5% | — |
| 1961 | 3.6% | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 3.5% | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 2.3% | -33.2% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | +13.4% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | -24.5% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | -11.2% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 1.9% | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 2.5% | +27.6% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 2.5% | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | -11.3% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 6.0% | +165.5% |
| 1975 | 8.5% | +42.6% |
| 1976 | 9.6% | +13.1% |
| 1977 | 7.7% | -19.7% |
| 1978 | 5.0% | -35.3% |
| 1979 | 10.2% | +104.4% |
| 1980 | 17.2% | +68.4% |
| 1981 | 13.7% | -20.2% |
| 1982 | 15.8% | +15.3% |
| 1983 | 12.2% | -22.6% |
| 1984 | 10.8% | -11.6% |
| 1985 | 10.4% | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 9.3% | -11.4% |
| 1987 | 7.6% | -17.6% |
| 1988 | 6.8% | -10.8% |
| 1989 | 6.2% | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 7.6% | +22.4% |
| 1991 | 9.0% | +17.8% |
| 1992 | 9.5% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 8.1% | -22.0% |
| 1995 | 8.3% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 8.1% | -10.3% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | -10.8% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 9.2% | +28.9% |
| 2001 | 9.3% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | -16.7% |
| 2003 | 8.7% | +12.6% |
| 2004 | 8.3% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 7.4% | -11.0% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | +53.6% |
| 2007 | 8.9% | -21.7% |
| 2008 | 10.8% | +20.9% |
| 2009 | 9.2% | -14.8% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 11.3% | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 10.8% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 11.1% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 9.4% | -11.2% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +23.4% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | -11.5% |
| 2021 | 11.7% | +12.2% |
| 2022 | 15.0% | +27.4% |
| 2023 | 15.6% | +4.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Africa Eastern and Southern 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +165.5% | 2.2% | 6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.6% | 1.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.6% | 2.2% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.0% | 6.2% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.5% | 7.1% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.1% | 7.4% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 9.4% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 10.5% | 15.6% | 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 imports from economies in the arab world in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Africa Eastern and Southern was 15.6% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1966.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for merchandise imports from economies in the arab world?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.1%. 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 imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports). 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 from economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.