Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal
Nepal: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 25.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal, 1981–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 25.9% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal peaked at 39.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1984.
That places Nepal 81st 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 43 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7.6% | — |
| 1982 | 12.0% | +56.5% |
| 1983 | 14.1% | +17.5% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | -52.3% |
| 1985 | 8.4% | +25.8% |
| 1986 | 9.9% | +17.2% |
| 1987 | 12.0% | +21.1% |
| 1988 | 16.0% | +33.6% |
| 1989 | 17.4% | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 15.6% | -10.2% |
| 1991 | 12.1% | -22.5% |
| 1992 | 17.5% | +44.5% |
| 1993 | 21.4% | +22.1% |
| 1994 | 26.5% | +23.8% |
| 1995 | 29.0% | +9.7% |
| 1996 | 8.8% | -69.7% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | -8.6% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +28.5% |
| 1999 | 39.3% | +281.2% |
| 2000 | 16.2% | -58.7% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | -11.5% |
| 2002 | 16.5% | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 14.2% | -13.9% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 16.0% | +9.9% |
| 2006 | 14.1% | -11.8% |
| 2007 | 18.4% | +30.4% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 20.0% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 21.4% | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 20.9% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 22.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 21.4% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 20.8% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | +14.8% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 26.1% | +12.0% |
| 2022 | 23.5% | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 25.9% | +10.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 25.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 87% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 25.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 29.7%, 87% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +281.2% | 10.3% | 39.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.6% | 6.7% | 17.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 8.0% | 39.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.6% | 14.1% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.4% | 19.7% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.7% | 23.3% | 26.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More private sector data for Nepal
- Merchandise trade 36.7% (2025)
- Food imports 18.0% (2022)
- Manufactures imports 52.5% (2022)
- Merchandise imports 14.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 49.4% (2022)
- Manufactures exports 47.5% (2022)
- Merchandise exports 2.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 78.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0508 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 75.61 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Nepal was 25.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 39.3% in 1999.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1984.
- How does Nepal rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Nepal ranks 81st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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
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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.