Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East was 37.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Ethiopia, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 37.2% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Ethiopia peaked at 40.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1961.
That places Ethiopia 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.4% | — |
| 1961 | 0.4% | -9.6% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | +247.2% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | +27.0% |
| 1964 | 1.8% | +11.3% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +5.7% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | +7.0% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | +16.2% |
| 1974 | 3.0% | +12.7% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | -17.3% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | +9.2% |
| 1977 | 3.9% | +42.3% |
| 1978 | 3.9% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | -46.2% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | +28.6% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -37.3% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | -46.1% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +28.6% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | -37.5% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -10.3% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +208.1% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | -28.8% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +49.0% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | -26.3% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -59.2% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +21.9% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +287.2% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 4.5% | +57.4% |
| 1996 | 4.3% | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 8.2% | +92.9% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | -21.5% |
| 1999 | 5.1% | -20.5% |
| 2000 | 9.5% | +84.5% |
| 2001 | 10.0% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 12.7% | +27.1% |
| 2003 | 14.4% | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 26.3% | +45.8% |
| 2008 | 23.2% | -11.6% |
| 2009 | 29.1% | +25.5% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 26.4% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 26.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | +21.7% |
| 2014 | 37.5% | +16.9% |
| 2015 | 40.4% | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 35.0% | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 34.1% | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 31.8% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 35.2% | +10.7% |
| 2021 | 33.3% | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 35.7% | +7.3% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | +4.2% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 37.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 21.8%, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 37.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.6%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +287.2% | 0.8% | 3.0% |
| 1962 | +247.2% | 0.4% | 1.2% |
| 1987 | +208.1% | 0.7% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.5% | 0.4% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.1% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 0.6% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.4% | 9.5% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.9% | 26.4% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.3% | 33.3% | 37.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More private sector data for Ethiopia
- Merchandise trade 24.2% (2025)
- Food imports 13.8% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 69.2% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 23.01 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 80.4% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 9.2% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 7.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 55.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.06 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 38.61 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Ethiopia?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Ethiopia was 37.2% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1961.
- How does Ethiopia rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east?
- Ethiopia ranks 19th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.
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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.