Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World was 16.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) recorded 16.7% for merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.9% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 20.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1977.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.8% | — |
| 1961 | 6.0% | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 4.4% | -26.0% |
| 1963 | 7.1% | +61.2% |
| 1964 | 6.7% | -6.3% |
| 1965 | 7.0% | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 6.1% | -12.9% |
| 1967 | 5.5% | -10.2% |
| 1968 | 5.5% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 5.5% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 6.8% | +23.0% |
| 1971 | 7.3% | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 7.8% | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 5.8% | -25.7% |
| 1974 | 6.0% | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 5.0% | -15.7% |
| 1976 | 4.7% | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 4.2% | -10.4% |
| 1978 | 5.1% | +20.2% |
| 1979 | 8.0% | +56.0% |
| 1980 | 10.8% | +36.2% |
| 1981 | 10.5% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 8.2% | -21.2% |
| 1983 | 7.0% | -15.3% |
| 1984 | 8.3% | +19.3% |
| 1985 | 8.8% | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 7.6% | -13.8% |
| 1987 | 8.7% | +14.8% |
| 1988 | 7.8% | -10.5% |
| 1989 | 10.1% | +29.6% |
| 1990 | 9.9% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 8.8% | -11.9% |
| 1992 | 9.2% | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 9.5% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 10.5% | +10.7% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | -8.4% |
| 1996 | 10.1% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | +5.7% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | -13.5% |
| 1999 | 10.5% | +13.6% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +29.5% |
| 2001 | 13.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 17.4% | +16.6% |
| 2005 | 18.0% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 19.8% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 20.9% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | -14.4% |
| 2012 | 19.9% | +11.7% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -7.2% |
| 2015 | 14.3% | -14.9% |
| 2016 | 14.1% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 17.6% | +16.6% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | +10.4% |
| 2023 | 16.7% | -13.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.0% | 4.4% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.1% | 4.2% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.8% | 7.0% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.8% | 8.8% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.1% | 13.5% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 14.1% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 15.1% | 19.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
More private sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Merchandise trade 49.0% (2025)
- Food imports 18.8% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 57.7% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 582.51 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.4% (2017)
- Manufactures exports 37.1% (2017)
- Merchandise exports 468.21 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 621.05 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2195 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 16.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1977.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for merchandise imports from economies in the arab world?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 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
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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.