Merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Merchandise trade was 45.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 45.4% for merchandise trade in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 56.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 1963.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 17th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 32.5% | — |
| 1961 | 30.9% | -5.0% |
| 1962 | 28.9% | -6.4% |
| 1963 | 27.8% | -3.9% |
| 1964 | 33.3% | +19.9% |
| 1965 | 32.0% | -4.0% |
| 1966 | 30.3% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 31.1% | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 30.5% | -2.0% |
| 1969 | 29.7% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 32.4% | +9.3% |
| 1971 | 32.7% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 30.5% | -6.7% |
| 1973 | 31.4% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 36.2% | +15.3% |
| 1975 | 34.3% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 32.2% | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 31.0% | -3.8% |
| 1978 | 31.8% | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 35.4% | +11.3% |
| 1980 | 44.0% | +24.3% |
| 1981 | 40.9% | -7.1% |
| 1982 | 36.3% | -11.3% |
| 1983 | 33.0% | -9.1% |
| 1984 | 35.3% | +7.2% |
| 1985 | 36.1% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 36.6% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 36.2% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 36.8% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 35.7% | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 32.1% | -10.2% |
| 1991 | 28.8% | -10.3% |
| 1992 | 34.1% | +18.4% |
| 1993 | 34.3% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 36.9% | +7.5% |
| 1995 | 38.5% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 40.8% | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 40.8% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 39.4% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 39.3% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 40.0% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 43.1% | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 43.8% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 41.6% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 43.0% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 47.5% | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 50.0% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 56.9% | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 45.7% | -19.7% |
| 2010 | 48.1% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 53.1% | +10.4% |
| 2012 | 53.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 53.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 51.5% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 47.5% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 45.7% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 43.7% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 46.9% | +7.2% |
| 2019 | 43.8% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 41.4% | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 46.4% | +11.9% |
| 2022 | 48.2% | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 48.7% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 46.5% | -4.5% |
| 2025 | 45.4% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.7% | 27.8% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 32.8% | 30.5% | 36.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.1% | 33.0% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.5% | 28.8% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.6% | 40.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 43.7% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.1% | 41.4% | 48.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
- 14 Cambodia 127.1% compare
- 15 Lao People's Democratic Republic 124.1% compare
- 16 Thailand 118.6% compare
- 17 American Samoa 117.7% compare
- 18 North Macedonia 115.8% compare
- 19 Brunei Darussalam 110.0% compare
- 20 Suriname 108.1% compare
More private sector data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Food imports 10.9% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 60.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 337.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.5% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 26.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 282.56 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 358.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.208 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 428.22 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Merchandise trade in Africa Eastern and Southern was 45.4% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 56.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 1963.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for merchandise trade?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 17th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.