Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & in European Union
European Union: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & was 3.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & in European Union, 1960–2023
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 European Union stood at 3.2%.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in European Union peaked at 3.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1980.
That places European Union 16th out of 47 groups 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 European Union, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.5% | — |
| 1961 | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 1962 | 0.5% | +8.2% |
| 1963 | 0.5% | -8.6% |
| 1964 | 0.5% | -7.5% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.5% | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 0.4% | -3.5% |
| 1969 | 0.4% | -7.1% |
| 1970 | 0.4% | -7.6% |
| 1971 | 0.4% | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 0.4% | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | +6.2% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -19.1% |
| 1975 | 0.3% | -9.2% |
| 1976 | 0.4% | +16.9% |
| 1977 | 0.3% | -14.7% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -3.5% |
| 1980 | 0.3% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 0.3% | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | +11.1% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | +21.2% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +10.5% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +11.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | +9.8% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +17.6% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +46.5% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +9.6% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | +10.5% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | +14.4% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 2.9% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | +10.8% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.3% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 13 Bosnia and Herzegovina 17.6% compare
- 14 Albania 17.1% compare
- 15 Afghanistan 17.0% compare
- 16 Kyrgyzstan 16.2% compare
- 17 Bulgaria 15.5% compare
- 18 North Macedonia 15.4% compare
- 19 Iran 13.0% compare
More private sector data for European Union
- Merchandise trade 70.9% (2025)
- Food imports 10.7% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 70.7% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 7.41 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.0% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 76.6% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 7.66 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 16,988 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3608 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.82 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in European Union?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & in European Union was 3.2% 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 European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1980.
- How does European Union rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe &?
- European Union ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in europe & rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this European Union 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 — 64 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.