Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 30.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic, 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 outside in Central African Republic stood at 30.0%.
That represents a change of up 58.4% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic peaked at 32.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1980.
That places Central African Republic 62nd 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 outside in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.2% | — |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -44.8% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | +77.9% |
| 1965 | 1.5% | -27.7% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +36.1% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | -37.8% |
| 1969 | 3.4% | +157.5% |
| 1970 | 3.4% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 1.0% | -70.2% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +50.7% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | -23.8% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +90.5% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -39.9% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +33.0% |
| 1977 | 1.8% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 2.4% | +34.2% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | -47.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -92.3% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +796.8% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +138.3% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | +191.5% |
| 1986 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -73.5% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +64.0% |
| 1989 | 4.2% | +58.4% |
| 1990 | 4.0% | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | -35.2% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | -10.1% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -21.6% |
| 1994 | 1.8% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 9.8% | +422.1% |
| 1997 | 6.6% | -32.7% |
| 1998 | 11.8% | +80.0% |
| 1999 | 8.7% | -26.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -53.8% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | +22.7% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | +73.0% |
| 2004 | 9.1% | +11.1% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -25.8% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -52.8% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | +377.7% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 20.1% | +22.9% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | +36.2% |
| 2011 | 12.9% | -53.1% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | +122.3% |
| 2013 | 23.2% | -18.8% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | -18.9% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | -9.7% |
| 2018 | 32.4% | +93.8% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | -25.0% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 18.9% | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 30.0% | +58.4% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 30.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 36.9%, 81% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 30.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.0%, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +796.8% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 1996 | +422.1% | 1.9% | 9.8% |
| 2007 | +377.7% | 3.2% | 15.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.2% | 3.4% | 8 |
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.0% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 0.1% | 6.1% | 8 |
| 1990s | 5.1% | 1.8% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 3.2% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.9% | 12.9% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 18.9% | 30.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
More private sector data for Central African Republic
- Merchandise trade 27.0% (2025)
- Food imports 20.9% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 51.1% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 573.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 0.2% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 71.8% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 255.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 46.25 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0832 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 110.74 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Central African Republic was 30.0% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 32.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1980.
- How does Central African Republic rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Central African Republic ranks 62nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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 — 60 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.