Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan
Japan: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 5.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 5.7%.
The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan peaked at 21.7% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2001.
Japan ranks 171st of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 16.5% | — |
| 1961 | 16.0% | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 16.8% | +4.6% |
| 1963 | 17.5% | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 18.3% | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 19.0% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 18.5% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 19.9% | +7.6% |
| 1968 | 21.3% | +6.9% |
| 1969 | 21.7% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 20.4% | -6.1% |
| 1971 | 20.5% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 19.5% | -5.1% |
| 1973 | 16.5% | -15.5% |
| 1974 | 18.1% | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 18.9% | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 16.0% | -15.5% |
| 1977 | 15.5% | -3.0% |
| 1978 | 14.0% | -9.9% |
| 1979 | 13.2% | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 13.4% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 10.0% | -25.4% |
| 1982 | 10.3% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 11.5% | +12.4% |
| 1984 | 10.1% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 10.6% | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 10.6% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 9.3% | -11.9% |
| 1988 | 8.4% | -10.1% |
| 1989 | 8.1% | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 8.0% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 7.3% | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 6.5% | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 6.1% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 5.7% | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 5.5% | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 5.9% | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 7.1% | -19.7% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +9.5% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 7.5% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.9% | -8.4% |
| 2015 | 6.5% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | +10.0% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 5.7% | -4.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 5.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 51% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Japan's 5.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.1%, 1.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.5% | 16.0% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.3% | 13.2% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.2% | 8.1% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 5.5% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.8% | 5.7% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.9% | 5.7% | 6.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More private sector data for Japan
- Merchandise trade 33.7% (2025)
- Food imports 9.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 59.9% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 755.55 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.3% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 80.6% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 738.34 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 5,985 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1665 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 4.43 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Japan was 5.7% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 1969.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2001.
- How does Japan rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Japan ranks 171st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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 — 64 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.