Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Tanzania
Tanzania: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 49.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania is 49.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Tanzania peaked at 49.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 1982.
Tanzania ranks 12th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 15.2% | — |
| 1961 | 13.4% | -11.6% |
| 1962 | 16.0% | +19.6% |
| 1963 | 16.9% | +5.1% |
| 1964 | 12.0% | -28.5% |
| 1965 | 13.9% | +15.8% |
| 1966 | 19.5% | +39.8% |
| 1967 | 17.1% | -12.5% |
| 1968 | 16.1% | -5.7% |
| 1969 | 17.3% | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 21.8% | +26.2% |
| 1971 | 30.7% | +40.9% |
| 1972 | 26.4% | -14.0% |
| 1973 | 30.6% | +15.8% |
| 1974 | 26.2% | -14.3% |
| 1975 | 21.0% | -20.0% |
| 1976 | 24.1% | +14.8% |
| 1977 | 20.2% | -16.0% |
| 1978 | 14.5% | -28.4% |
| 1979 | 16.3% | +12.8% |
| 1980 | 16.2% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 8.0% | -50.9% |
| 1982 | 7.3% | -8.9% |
| 1983 | 15.6% | +114.8% |
| 1984 | 19.8% | +27.1% |
| 1985 | 15.2% | -23.6% |
| 1986 | 13.6% | -10.4% |
| 1987 | 11.3% | -16.4% |
| 1988 | 11.1% | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 10.0% | -9.6% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | +7.7% |
| 1991 | 15.1% | +39.7% |
| 1992 | 21.5% | +42.2% |
| 1993 | 15.1% | -29.5% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | +13.6% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 17.0% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 22.2% | +30.8% |
| 1998 | 22.6% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 23.3% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 20.4% | -12.4% |
| 2001 | 18.2% | -10.8% |
| 2002 | 21.0% | +15.6% |
| 2003 | 23.1% | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 24.9% | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | -17.5% |
| 2006 | 22.3% | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 26.7% | +19.9% |
| 2008 | 29.0% | +8.4% |
| 2009 | 30.5% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 30.1% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 32.4% | +7.8% |
| 2012 | 25.9% | -20.2% |
| 2013 | 38.2% | +47.6% |
| 2014 | 44.2% | +16.0% |
| 2015 | 26.5% | -40.1% |
| 2016 | 47.3% | +78.5% |
| 2017 | 33.6% | -29.0% |
| 2018 | 44.8% | +33.5% |
| 2019 | 44.1% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 47.4% | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 45.1% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 46.1% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 49.4% | +7.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 49.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29.9%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 49.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.0%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.7% | 12.0% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.2% | 14.5% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.8% | 7.3% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.1% | 10.8% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.7% | 18.2% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.7% | 25.9% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.0% | 45.1% | 49.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More private sector data for Tanzania
- Merchandise trade 27.5% (2025)
- Food imports 9.2% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 68.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 14.81 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 37.4% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 10.8% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 9.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 141.13 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1104 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 14.41 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Tanzania?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in Tanzania was 49.4% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 49.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 1982.
- How does Tanzania rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- Tanzania ranks 12th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.