Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Merchandise imports from high-income economies was 13.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan, 1964–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan is 13.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 34.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan peaked at 86.8% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2014.
Afghanistan ranks 199th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 78.6% | — |
| 1965 | 84.7% | +7.9% |
| 1967 | 72.7% | -14.2% |
| 1968 | 71.9% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 58.7% | -18.4% |
| 1970 | 69.6% | +18.7% |
| 1971 | 79.7% | +14.5% |
| 1973 | 63.4% | -20.5% |
| 1974 | 67.5% | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 72.9% | +8.1% |
| 1976 | 72.0% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 63.4% | -12.0% |
| 1978 | 74.2% | +17.1% |
| 1979 | 79.0% | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 78.3% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 82.8% | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 85.0% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 86.8% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 85.0% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 82.9% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 73.6% | -11.3% |
| 1987 | 76.2% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 77.7% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 81.2% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 76.6% | -5.7% |
| 1991 | 82.0% | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 73.8% | -10.0% |
| 1993 | 74.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 65.1% | -12.5% |
| 1995 | 66.1% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 76.3% | +15.5% |
| 1997 | 62.0% | -18.8% |
| 1998 | 50.4% | -18.8% |
| 1999 | 44.2% | -12.3% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | -58.5% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | -18.6% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 15.3% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 19.0% | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 24.5% | +29.4% |
| 2009 | 27.7% | +12.9% |
| 2010 | 29.7% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 33.8% | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | -65.3% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -25.4% |
| 2015 | 15.9% | +114.7% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | -21.4% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | +18.6% |
| 2018 | 13.8% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 13.4% | +14.4% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 13.3% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 13.3% | +0.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 13.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 38.4%, 35% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 13.3% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 57.0%, 23% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +114.7% | 7.4% | 15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 73.3% | 58.7% | 84.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 71.3% | 63.4% | 79.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 80.9% | 73.6% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.1% | 44.2% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.6% | 15.2% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.8% | 7.4% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.3% | 13.1% | 13.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More private sector data for Afghanistan
- Merchandise trade 22.2% (2025)
- Food imports 26.9% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 41.1% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 3.61 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 63.9% (2019)
- Manufactures exports 4.8% (2019)
- Merchandise exports 926.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 21.12 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 0.7617 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan?
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Afghanistan was 13.3% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 86.8% in 1983.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2014.
- How does Afghanistan rank for merchandise imports from high-income economies?
- Afghanistan ranks 199th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from high-income economies rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from high-income economies are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from high-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. 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.