Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia
Australia: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within was 40.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia, 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 within in Australia is 40.0%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia peaked at 40.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 1975.
That places Australia 26th out of 203 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.2% | — |
| 1961 | 4.4% | +5.2% |
| 1962 | 4.3% | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 4.5% | +5.3% |
| 1964 | 4.2% | -7.0% |
| 1965 | 4.0% | -4.4% |
| 1966 | 4.8% | +18.3% |
| 1967 | 4.6% | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 4.3% | -7.3% |
| 1969 | 4.3% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 3.4% | -20.5% |
| 1971 | 3.2% | -5.9% |
| 1972 | 3.5% | +8.8% |
| 1973 | 4.1% | +16.7% |
| 1974 | 3.6% | -12.7% |
| 1975 | 3.2% | -11.5% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | +23.9% |
| 1977 | 4.7% | +20.4% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | -4.5% |
| 1979 | 5.1% | +14.1% |
| 1980 | 5.8% | +13.0% |
| 1981 | 5.6% | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | +14.1% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | -27.3% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | +14.6% |
| 1985 | 4.6% | -14.3% |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +10.5% |
| 1987 | 6.1% | +21.0% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 6.7% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 7.3% | +9.1% |
| 1991 | 10.4% | +41.4% |
| 1992 | 12.5% | +20.5% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 12.4% | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 12.7% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 13.9% | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 15.4% | +10.5% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | +8.5% |
| 1999 | 18.0% | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 20.4% | +13.7% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 22.7% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 24.3% | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 25.7% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 27.3% | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 29.3% | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 30.7% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 31.0% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 35.5% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 33.2% | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 33.4% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 35.2% | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 37.0% | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 38.3% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 38.9% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 39.1% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 39.7% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 39.6% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 40.7% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 39.5% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 40.4% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 40.0% | -1.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 40.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.5%, 9.0× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Australia's 40.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 34.3%, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.4% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.2% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 4.6% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 7.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.7% | 20.4% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 33.2% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.1% | 39.5% | 40.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More private sector data for Australia
- Merchandise trade 36.0% (2025)
- Food imports 6.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 74.3% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 310.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 13.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 9.8% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 337.58 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 12,225 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1877 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -0.9521 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Australia was 40.0% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 1975.
- How does Australia rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within?
- Australia ranks 26th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within 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 within region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in the same World Bank region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are 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. No figures are shown for high-income economies, because they are a separate category in the World Bank classification of economies.