Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand
Thailand: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within was 39.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand, 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 Thailand stood at 39.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand peaked at 40.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1974.
That places Thailand 29th 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 Thailand, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.5% | — |
| 1961 | 3.6% | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 7.5% | +105.8% |
| 1963 | 6.6% | -12.1% |
| 1964 | 3.6% | -44.7% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | -24.6% |
| 1966 | 4.1% | +49.1% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | -49.9% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | +8.8% |
| 1970 | 2.5% | +12.1% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | +11.7% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -15.5% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | -24.3% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | -38.3% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +34.5% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +106.4% |
| 1977 | 3.0% | -4.1% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | +23.2% |
| 1979 | 6.8% | +84.0% |
| 1980 | 8.0% | +18.7% |
| 1981 | 6.8% | -15.5% |
| 1982 | 8.9% | +31.1% |
| 1983 | 9.0% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | +11.5% |
| 1986 | 9.6% | -9.0% |
| 1987 | 10.7% | +11.8% |
| 1988 | 8.4% | -21.8% |
| 1989 | 7.9% | -5.1% |
| 1990 | 8.8% | +10.9% |
| 1991 | 7.9% | -10.5% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +12.1% |
| 1993 | 8.0% | -9.7% |
| 1994 | 9.8% | +22.3% |
| 1995 | 10.1% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 10.6% | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 11.6% | +9.8% |
| 1998 | 14.1% | +21.7% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 16.3% | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 17.6% | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 20.0% | +13.2% |
| 2003 | 20.5% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 21.3% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 23.7% | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 25.0% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 25.6% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 24.7% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 26.9% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 28.3% | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 28.8% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 31.7% | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 36.1% | +13.8% |
| 2016 | 37.6% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 35.5% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 35.7% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 37.7% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 40.2% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 39.7% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 38.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | +1.1% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 39.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.6%, 2.4× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 39.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 34.3%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +106.4% | 1.5% | 3.1% |
| 1962 | +105.8% | 3.6% | 7.5% |
| 1979 | +84.0% | 3.7% | 6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.8% | 2.0% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 1.1% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.9% | 6.8% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.5% | 7.9% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 16.3% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.5% | 26.6% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 38.8% | 40.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More private sector data for Thailand
- Merchandise trade 118.6% (2025)
- Food imports 6.6% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 65.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 344.94 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 72.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 339.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,742 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5886 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 12.93 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Thailand was 39.3% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 40.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1974.
- How does Thailand rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within?
- Thailand ranks 29th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Thailand 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
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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.