Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members
OECD members: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 23.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members is 23.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members peaked at 24.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1988.
That places OECD members 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.4% | — |
| 1961 | 17.5% | -4.5% |
| 1962 | 17.4% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 17.3% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 17.5% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 16.8% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 16.5% | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 15.9% | -3.8% |
| 1968 | 15.5% | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 15.0% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 14.3% | -4.4% |
| 1971 | 13.6% | -5.4% |
| 1972 | 13.3% | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 13.7% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 17.1% | +24.8% |
| 1975 | 16.5% | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 16.9% | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 17.6% | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 16.2% | -7.8% |
| 1979 | 16.5% | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 16.8% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 14.9% | -11.3% |
| 1982 | 15.3% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 15.6% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 15.2% | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 14.7% | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 11.7% | -20.3% |
| 1987 | 11.4% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 11.7% | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 11.9% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 11.8% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 12.0% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 13.2% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 13.1% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 13.8% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 14.3% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 14.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 16.0% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 16.4% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 16.8% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 17.5% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 18.7% | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 20.6% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 22.0% | +6.8% |
| 2011 | 21.5% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 21.8% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 23.2% | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 23.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 24.7% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 23.5% | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.8% | 15.0% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.6% | 13.3% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.8% | 11.0% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 11.8% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 15.6% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 21.5% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 23.5% | 24.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 24 Cameroon 42.9% compare
- 25 Kenya 42.5% compare
- 26 Haiti 41.5% compare
- 27 Yemen 41.5% compare
- 28 Syrian Arab Republic 40.5% compare
- 29 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 40.2% compare
- 30 Saudi Arabia 39.1% compare
More private sector data for OECD members
- Merchandise trade 41.9% (2025)
- Food imports 9.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 70.6% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 15.86 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 9.5% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 69.2% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 14.51 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 10,347 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.28 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in OECD members was 23.5% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 24.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1988.
- How does OECD members rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- OECD members ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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.