Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 28.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 Latin America & Caribbean stood at 28.2%.
That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 29.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1961.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 24th out of 47 groups 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 Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.1% | — |
| 1961 | 0.9% | -19.2% |
| 1962 | 1.1% | +26.9% |
| 1963 | 1.3% | +17.4% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | +14.5% |
| 1965 | 1.6% | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | +12.6% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | -18.3% |
| 1968 | 1.6% | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 1.9% | +21.2% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | +18.4% |
| 1971 | 3.7% | +62.0% |
| 1972 | 3.9% | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | +31.7% |
| 1974 | 8.6% | +68.3% |
| 1975 | 8.3% | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 9.0% | +8.7% |
| 1977 | 9.3% | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 8.9% | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 10.5% | +17.7% |
| 1980 | 8.9% | -15.4% |
| 1981 | 7.4% | -16.5% |
| 1982 | 7.6% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | +30.0% |
| 1984 | 10.8% | +10.2% |
| 1985 | 10.7% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | -33.2% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | -5.8% |
| 1988 | 5.0% | -25.2% |
| 1989 | 5.4% | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 5.1% | -5.8% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | -29.8% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -16.0% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | +17.6% |
| 1996 | 4.7% | +16.4% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 4.7% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 6.0% | +23.5% |
| 2001 | 7.1% | +17.0% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | +23.8% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | +23.0% |
| 2005 | 13.2% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 15.3% | +15.9% |
| 2007 | 16.9% | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 18.1% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 18.6% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 20.9% | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 21.6% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 21.8% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 23.2% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 24.1% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 26.0% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 27.3% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 29.6% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 29.0% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 28.2% | -3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.9% | 2.3% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.0% | 5.0% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 6.0% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 20.9% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 28.2% | 29.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More private sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Merchandise trade 44.2% (2025)
- Food imports 9.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 73.2% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 1.66 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 24.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 46.5% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 1.67 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,503 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2256 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Latin America & Caribbean was 28.2% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1961.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 24th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.