Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & in China
China: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & was 1.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & in China, 1978–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in China stood at 1.7%.
The figure is up 7.7% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in China peaked at 2.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1978.
That places China 97th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Europe & in China, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.2% | +335.5% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +20.7% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | -36.4% |
| 1984 | 0.2% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -30.3% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +185.9% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +26.8% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -68.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -35.1% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +593.8% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | +133.8% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -31.6% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -8.7% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -13.5% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -29.2% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +27.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +22.0% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +10.2% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +13.4% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +30.6% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | +23.4% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +14.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -18.8% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -19.7% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +17.8% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +7.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- China's 1.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2%, 7.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +593.8% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 1981 | +335.5% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 1986 | +185.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 1993 | +133.8% | 0.6% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More private sector data for China
- Merchandise trade 32.6% (2025)
- Food imports 8.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 49.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 2.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.4% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 91.2% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,682 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1934 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in China?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in China was 1.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1978.
- How does China rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe &?
- China ranks 97th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 Europe & Central Asia (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 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 Europe and Central Asia are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the Europe and Central Asia 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.