Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Iran
Iran: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 48.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Iran, 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 Iran stood at 48.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Iran peaked at 51.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1978.
That places Iran 13th 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 Iran, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.6% | — |
| 1961 | 6.1% | +9.6% |
| 1962 | 4.5% | -27.1% |
| 1963 | 4.4% | -1.7% |
| 1964 | 5.0% | +13.7% |
| 1965 | 4.1% | -18.4% |
| 1966 | 5.8% | +43.1% |
| 1967 | 4.9% | -16.0% |
| 1968 | 4.4% | -9.8% |
| 1969 | 5.0% | +12.8% |
| 1973 | 7.2% | +44.9% |
| 1974 | 9.0% | +24.4% |
| 1975 | 8.5% | -5.0% |
| 1976 | 7.6% | -11.2% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | -20.9% |
| 1978 | 3.5% | -41.9% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | +57.9% |
| 1980 | 6.3% | +14.0% |
| 1981 | 10.4% | +65.8% |
| 1982 | 15.1% | +45.6% |
| 1983 | 15.0% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 15.1% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 18.7% | +23.5% |
| 1986 | 16.3% | -12.7% |
| 1987 | 21.2% | +30.1% |
| 1988 | 18.4% | -13.0% |
| 1989 | 18.4% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 13.3% | -27.5% |
| 1991 | 10.5% | -21.2% |
| 1992 | 9.8% | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 15.5% | +57.5% |
| 1994 | 18.9% | +22.1% |
| 1995 | 23.9% | +26.3% |
| 1996 | 26.7% | +12.1% |
| 1997 | 23.2% | -13.0% |
| 1998 | 20.2% | -13.1% |
| 1999 | 20.6% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | +12.6% |
| 2001 | 23.3% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | -17.6% |
| 2003 | 22.9% | +18.9% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | -18.6% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 20.3% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 22.4% | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 23.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 31.7% | +37.5% |
| 2012 | 34.3% | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 43.0% | +25.4% |
| 2014 | 43.9% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 45.9% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 47.0% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 43.0% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 43.7% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 51.7% | +18.4% |
| 2020 | 47.4% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 43.1% | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 47.8% | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | +1.5% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 48.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.2%, 2.4× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Iran's 48.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 38.3%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.0% | 4.1% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.7% | 3.5% | 9.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 15.5% | 6.3% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.3% | 9.8% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 18.6% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 23.1% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.7% | 43.1% | 48.5% | 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 outside in Iran?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Iran was 48.5% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1978.
- How does Iran rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Iran ranks 13th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. 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 outside region (% 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 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.