Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East was 39.9% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bangladesh, 1973–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bangladesh is 39.9%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bangladesh peaked at 39.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1975.
Bangladesh ranks 16th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 2.8% | — |
| 1974 | 1.0% | -62.3% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | -15.1% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | +174.9% |
| 1977 | 6.7% | +173.6% |
| 1978 | 8.0% | +19.3% |
| 1979 | 8.3% | +4.6% |
| 1980 | 9.5% | +13.8% |
| 1981 | 12.8% | +34.8% |
| 1982 | 12.6% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | -54.4% |
| 1984 | 13.0% | +127.2% |
| 1985 | 12.0% | -8.0% |
| 1986 | 8.8% | -26.3% |
| 1987 | 11.4% | +29.7% |
| 1988 | 10.1% | -12.0% |
| 1989 | 12.7% | +26.2% |
| 1990 | 8.6% | -32.0% |
| 1991 | 9.1% | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 12.5% | +37.1% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | -6.1% |
| 1994 | 12.7% | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 13.9% | +9.6% |
| 1996 | 16.2% | +16.9% |
| 1997 | 19.3% | +19.0% |
| 1998 | 16.9% | -12.4% |
| 1999 | 14.6% | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 17.2% | +17.7% |
| 2001 | 17.7% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 21.0% | +18.9% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 22.2% | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 22.7% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 23.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 24.1% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 28.6% | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 30.4% | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 33.2% | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 31.7% | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 32.7% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 32.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 34.2% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 34.9% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 35.9% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 36.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 35.2% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 37.1% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 37.2% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 39.9% | +7.4% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 39.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.4%, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 39.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 23.2%, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bangladesh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +174.9% | 0.9% | 2.4% |
| 1977 | +173.6% | 2.4% | 6.7% |
| 1984 | +127.2% | 5.7% | 13.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.3% | 0.9% | 8.3% | 7 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 5.7% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 8.6% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 17.2% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.5% | 30.4% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 35.2% | 39.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More private sector data for Bangladesh
- Merchandise trade 25.8% (2025)
- Food imports 13.0% (2018)
- Manufactures imports 67.0% (2018)
- Merchandise imports 69.37 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 3.4% (2018)
- Manufactures exports 94.5% (2018)
- Merchandise exports 48.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 274.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1056 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.95 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bangladesh?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bangladesh was 39.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 39.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1975.
- How does Bangladesh rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east?
- Bangladesh ranks 16th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia and Pacific are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the East Asia and Pacific region 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.