Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Namibia
Namibia: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 24.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Namibia, 2000–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 24.4% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 12.2% on the previous year and up 159.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Namibia peaked at 24.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2000.
That places Namibia 91st 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 Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.5% | — |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +122.0% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -21.6% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | +14.1% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | +54.5% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 8.2% | +84.6% |
| 2009 | 9.2% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 6.8% | -25.8% |
| 2011 | 6.5% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -15.5% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +70.7% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 11.0% | +29.2% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | -16.0% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | +26.8% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -26.1% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | +68.5% |
| 2020 | 13.0% | -11.3% |
| 2021 | 13.9% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | +56.6% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | +12.2% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 24.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 82% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 24.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.0%, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.6% | 1.5% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 5.5% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.2% | 13.0% | 24.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More private sector data for Namibia
- Merchandise trade 102.4% (2025)
- Food imports 13.2% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 8.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 28.0% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 18.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 7.02 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,271 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4658 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.33 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Namibia?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Namibia was 24.4% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2000.
- How does Namibia rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Namibia ranks 91st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 159.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia 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 — 24 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.