Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China
China: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 16.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China, 1961–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China is 16.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.4% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China peaked at 17.9% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1991.
That places China 119th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.4% | — |
| 1978 | 9.5% | -16.5% |
| 1979 | 8.7% | -8.5% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | -15.3% |
| 1981 | 8.6% | +16.1% |
| 1982 | 8.6% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 10.0% | +16.2% |
| 1984 | 5.8% | -42.3% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | -8.2% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | -11.8% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | -20.2% |
| 1988 | 5.3% | +42.9% |
| 1989 | 6.2% | +15.9% |
| 1990 | 4.2% | -31.6% |
| 1991 | 3.4% | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +36.7% |
| 1994 | 4.6% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 5.1% | +10.8% |
| 1996 | 5.8% | +12.8% |
| 1997 | 6.7% | +16.4% |
| 1998 | 5.2% | -21.9% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | +45.4% |
| 2001 | 7.2% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | +21.8% |
| 2004 | 10.0% | +13.7% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | +11.8% |
| 2006 | 11.8% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | +21.5% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 17.9% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 13.8% | -19.5% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 14.4% | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +9.9% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 15.7% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 16.7% | +6.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 16.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.2%, 82% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- China's 16.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.1%, 5.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.4% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 1 |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 8.7% | 9.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.6% | 3.7% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 3.4% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 7.2% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.9% | 13.1% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 14.9% | 16.7% | 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 outside in China?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in China was 16.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 17.9% in 2012.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1991.
- How does China rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- China ranks 119th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 outside region (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 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.