Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Merchandise imports from high-income economies was 48.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 48.4% for merchandise imports from high-income economies in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 87.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 45.7%, in 2020.
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 38th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 87.7% | — |
| 1961 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 86.4% | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 86.2% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 81.5% | -5.4% |
| 1965 | 80.6% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 82.1% | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 82.7% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 80.1% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 80.4% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 82.1% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 81.8% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 82.3% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 81.2% | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 79.3% | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 83.9% | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 85.7% | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 86.5% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 87.8% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 85.6% | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 79.5% | -7.2% |
| 1981 | 84.6% | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 82.7% | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 83.2% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 80.8% | -2.9% |
| 1985 | 80.9% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 81.8% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 81.0% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 78.3% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 77.8% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 78.9% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 77.1% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 75.6% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 72.7% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 71.1% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 68.6% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 74.3% | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 72.9% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 66.1% | -9.4% |
| 2001 | 65.8% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 64.8% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 61.5% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 60.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 59.0% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 59.3% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 57.8% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 55.5% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 53.8% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 54.2% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 53.1% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 52.4% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 52.1% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 51.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 50.7% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 49.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 48.6% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 49.3% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 46.3% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 48.6% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 48.4% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.6% | 80.1% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 83.6% | 79.3% | 87.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.4% | 78.3% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.7% | 68.1% | 78.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.4% | 53.8% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.3% | 48.6% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.3% | 45.7% | 48.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 501.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 48.4% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from high-income economies recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.7% in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for merchandise imports from high-income economies?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from high-income economies rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.
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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.