Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 18.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 18.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.9% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in United Kingdom peaked at 24.0% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 1988.
United Kingdom ranks 114th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 23.1% | — |
| 1961 | 23.5% | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 23.6% | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 24.0% | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 23.8% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 23.9% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 23.1% | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 22.0% | -4.9% |
| 1968 | 21.0% | -4.2% |
| 1969 | 21.2% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 19.3% | -9.1% |
| 1971 | 17.7% | -8.6% |
| 1972 | 16.7% | -5.2% |
| 1973 | 16.6% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 17.4% | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 17.0% | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 17.4% | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 16.6% | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 13.8% | -16.8% |
| 1979 | 11.3% | -17.9% |
| 1980 | 11.3% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 9.6% | -14.3% |
| 1982 | 10.6% | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | -14.0% |
| 1984 | 9.7% | +6.3% |
| 1985 | 9.4% | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 8.0% | -14.7% |
| 1987 | 7.2% | -9.5% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 7.0% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 7.6% | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 7.9% | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 8.2% | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 9.3% | +13.5% |
| 1994 | 9.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 10.4% | +9.9% |
| 1997 | 10.2% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 9.7% | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 10.9% | +13.1% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +10.9% |
| 2002 | 12.3% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 12.7% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 15.4% | +12.1% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 16.6% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 19.6% | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 19.4% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 19.6% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 18.4% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 18.5% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | +12.8% |
| 2021 | 22.1% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 20.4% | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 18.1% | -10.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 18.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 1.6× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 18.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.8%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.9% | 21.0% | 24.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.4% | 11.3% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.9% | 6.9% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.2% | 7.6% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.6% | 10.9% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.2% | 18.4% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 18.1% | 22.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More private sector data for United Kingdom
- Merchandise trade 37.6% (2025)
- Food imports 9.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 56.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 948.64 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 6.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 59.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 555.83 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 7,999 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1389 current US$ 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 United Kingdom?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in United Kingdom was 18.1% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 1963.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 1988.
- How does United Kingdom rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- United Kingdom ranks 114th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.