Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within was 16.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income, 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 within in Low & middle income stood at 16.9%.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income peaked at 17.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 1961.
Low & middle income ranks 11th of 46 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.8% | — |
| 1961 | 4.7% | -2.6% |
| 1962 | 5.1% | +8.9% |
| 1963 | 6.0% | +16.4% |
| 1964 | 7.7% | +28.3% |
| 1965 | 8.5% | +10.8% |
| 1966 | 6.9% | -18.7% |
| 1967 | 6.9% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 7.6% | +10.2% |
| 1969 | 7.9% | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 7.8% | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 7.2% | -7.9% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 7.3% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 6.5% | -11.1% |
| 1975 | 5.9% | -8.6% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 5.8% | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | +16.0% |
| 1980 | 6.8% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 6.1% | -10.8% |
| 1982 | 6.8% | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 6.5% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 7.3% | +13.1% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | -6.2% |
| 1986 | 6.5% | -4.9% |
| 1987 | 7.1% | +8.5% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 7.4% | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 7.1% | -3.8% |
| 1991 | 7.2% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 7.8% | +8.8% |
| 1993 | 8.0% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 8.7% | +8.5% |
| 1995 | 9.7% | +11.2% |
| 1996 | 9.8% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 10.0% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 10.7% | +12.0% |
| 2001 | 11.0% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 11.4% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 12.1% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 12.6% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 13.6% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 13.4% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 13.8% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 13.8% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 13.6% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 13.9% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 13.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 14.1% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 15.6% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 15.5% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 15.7% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 16.8% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 16.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.6% | 4.7% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.6% | 5.8% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.8% | 6.1% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 7.1% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.7% | 13.6% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.8% | 17.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
- 8 South Sudan 64.9% compare
- 9 Zimbabwe 64.2% compare
- 10 Mali 62.5% compare
- 11 Nepal 61.5% compare
- 12 Myanmar 61.3% compare
- 13 Solomon Islands 55.6% compare
- 14 Timor-Leste 55.1% compare
More private sector data for Low & middle income
- Merchandise trade 41.5% (2025)
- Food imports 8.8% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 58.0% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 8.33 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 10.2% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 72.6% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 8.84 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,301 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.213 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Low & middle income was 16.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 1961.
- How does Low & middle income rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within?
- Low & middle income ranks 11th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.
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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.