Merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia
South Asia: Merchandise imports from high-income economies was 57.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia stood at 57.8%.
The figure is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia peaked at 85.3% in 1967 and was at its lowest, 50.8%, in 2017.
South Asia ranks 27th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.8% | — |
| 1961 | 84.9% | +3.8% |
| 1962 | 82.5% | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 84.9% | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 84.4% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 85.1% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 81.9% | -3.7% |
| 1967 | 85.3% | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 82.6% | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 77.4% | -6.3% |
| 1970 | 76.1% | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 78.2% | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 78.2% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 77.2% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 71.7% | -7.1% |
| 1975 | 78.5% | +9.4% |
| 1976 | 76.4% | -2.7% |
| 1977 | 69.2% | -9.4% |
| 1978 | 72.5% | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 74.2% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 70.3% | -5.2% |
| 1981 | 71.8% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 76.9% | +7.1% |
| 1983 | 77.2% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 77.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 77.7% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 81.8% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 80.5% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 80.3% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 82.3% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 80.4% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 78.4% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 76.4% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 78.4% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 76.3% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 75.0% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 76.1% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 73.4% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 70.0% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 71.5% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 70.4% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 68.9% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 68.8% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 68.0% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 68.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 61.7% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 61.1% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 59.7% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 58.9% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 57.9% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 56.5% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 53.3% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 52.7% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 50.9% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 50.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 51.5% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 53.7% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 52.9% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 53.7% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 55.1% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 57.8% | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.1% | 77.4% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.2% | 69.2% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.6% | 70.3% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.1% | 70.0% | 80.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.1% | 59.7% | 71.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.6% | 50.8% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.9% | 52.9% | 57.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More private sector data for South Asia
- Merchandise trade 30.0% (2025)
- Food imports 5.6% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 47.1% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 864.53 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.8% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 67.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 510.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 301.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1115 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia?
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies in South Asia was 57.8% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 85.3% in 1967.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.8% in 2017.
- How does South Asia rank for merchandise imports from high-income economies?
- South Asia ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from high-income economies rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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 — 64 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.