Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 50.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Bangladesh, 1973–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Bangladesh stood at 50.6%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Bangladesh peaked at 50.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 1974.
That places Bangladesh 10th 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 outside in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 10.3% | — |
| 1974 | 4.8% | -53.5% |
| 1975 | 6.8% | +41.4% |
| 1976 | 9.7% | +43.8% |
| 1977 | 14.2% | +46.1% |
| 1978 | 14.1% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 11.5% | -18.2% |
| 1980 | 12.9% | +12.5% |
| 1981 | 13.5% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 13.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6.5% | -52.0% |
| 1984 | 14.6% | +126.5% |
| 1985 | 13.2% | -9.8% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | -21.3% |
| 1987 | 13.0% | +25.0% |
| 1988 | 12.3% | -5.5% |
| 1989 | 16.1% | +31.0% |
| 1990 | 11.3% | -29.9% |
| 1991 | 12.2% | +8.4% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | +24.8% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 16.6% | +18.6% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 19.5% | +13.8% |
| 1997 | 21.9% | +12.3% |
| 1998 | 20.4% | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 18.4% | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 21.1% | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 20.7% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 23.9% | +15.1% |
| 2003 | 24.8% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 26.9% | +8.6% |
| 2005 | 27.6% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 28.8% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 29.6% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 30.1% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 37.3% | +24.2% |
| 2010 | 38.9% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 42.8% | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 42.1% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 43.5% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 42.5% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 45.0% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 43.9% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 44.9% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 45.9% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 46.7% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 47.3% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 48.8% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 50.6% | +3.6% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 50.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 50.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 29.7%, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +126.5% | 6.5% | 14.6% |
| 1974 | -53.5% | 10.3% | 4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.2% | 4.8% | 14.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | 12.6% | 6.5% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.7% | 11.3% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.1% | 20.7% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.3% | 38.9% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.3% | 46.7% | 50.6% | 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 outside in Bangladesh?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Bangladesh was 50.6% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 50.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 1974.
- How does Bangladesh rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Bangladesh ranks 10th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. 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 outside region (% 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 outside region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in other World Bank regions 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.