Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Iran
Iran: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South was 3.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Iran, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Iran recorded 3.3% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 47.4% on the previous year and down 67.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Iran peaked at 10.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1990.
Iran ranks 63rd of 205 countries on this measure, 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 South in Iran, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.8% | — |
| 1961 | 3.7% | -22.8% |
| 1962 | 3.5% | -5.5% |
| 1963 | 3.3% | -5.8% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | -17.9% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +19.7% |
| 1966 | 2.9% | -9.4% |
| 1967 | 3.0% | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 2.7% | -9.0% |
| 1969 | 3.8% | +38.6% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | -43.8% |
| 1974 | 3.0% | +40.2% |
| 1975 | 4.0% | +32.9% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | -41.7% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | -37.3% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | +77.9% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -35.0% |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +61.9% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | -16.9% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +52.4% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | -10.2% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -31.6% |
| 1986 | 2.4% | +16.6% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -18.1% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +66.8% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -35.0% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | -38.9% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +22.3% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +10.3% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +62.2% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | +31.6% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -30.5% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -17.0% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -28.5% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | +11.7% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | +40.1% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | +44.4% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -14.8% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | +40.2% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -17.9% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | +34.1% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | -18.5% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | +185.4% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | -19.5% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | -16.3% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +37.5% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | +28.0% |
| 2020 | 6.3% | -34.9% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | -37.9% |
| 2022 | 6.3% | +61.2% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | -47.4% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 3.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.0%, 1.6× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Iran's 3.3% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.2%, 79% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.4% | 4.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.3% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.4% | 3.5% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 3.3% | 6.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More private sector data for Iran
- Merchandise trade 49.3% (2025)
- Food imports 29.5% (2022)
- Manufactures imports 58.1% (2022)
- Merchandise imports 65.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 5.9% (2022)
- Manufactures exports 31.3% (2022)
- Merchandise exports 113.22 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,225 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3122 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 0.5069 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Iran?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Iran was 3.3% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1990.
- How does Iran rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south?
- Iran ranks 63rd out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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 South Asia (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 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 South Asia are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the South 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.