Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Merchandise trade was 43.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central is 43.1%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central peaked at 55.4% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 1998.
That places Africa Western and Central 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 32.0% | — |
| 1961 | 32.0% | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 29.5% | -7.8% |
| 1963 | 29.8% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 31.3% | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 31.7% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 29.6% | -6.5% |
| 1967 | 31.7% | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 31.8% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 32.3% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 25.2% | -21.9% |
| 1971 | 32.4% | +28.6% |
| 1972 | 30.0% | -7.6% |
| 1973 | 33.7% | +12.4% |
| 1974 | 44.4% | +31.9% |
| 1975 | 43.7% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 45.9% | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 53.9% | +17.6% |
| 1978 | 51.0% | -5.4% |
| 1979 | 49.2% | -3.5% |
| 1980 | 55.4% | +12.5% |
| 1981 | 27.9% | -49.6% |
| 1982 | 25.0% | -10.6% |
| 1983 | 27.9% | +11.7% |
| 1984 | 30.7% | +9.9% |
| 1985 | 30.0% | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 27.8% | -7.3% |
| 1987 | 29.6% | +6.5% |
| 1988 | 29.6% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 36.3% | +22.8% |
| 1990 | 36.7% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 34.7% | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 37.1% | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 33.2% | -10.5% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 25.1% | -17.2% |
| 1996 | 21.7% | -13.6% |
| 1997 | 21.2% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 17.6% | -17.2% |
| 1999 | 40.7% | +131.5% |
| 2000 | 44.8% | +9.9% |
| 2001 | 43.6% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 36.1% | -17.2% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 43.3% | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 45.4% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 42.3% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 43.2% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 46.5% | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 39.4% | -15.3% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 49.6% | +14.9% |
| 2012 | 45.9% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 39.3% | -14.3% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 32.0% | -17.2% |
| 2016 | 30.9% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 32.1% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 34.3% | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 26.8% | -21.9% |
| 2020 | 23.4% | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | +17.3% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | +15.0% |
| 2023 | 34.3% | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 43.0% | +25.5% |
| 2025 | 43.1% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.2% | 29.5% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.9% | 25.2% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.0% | 25.0% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.8% | 17.6% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.3% | 36.1% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.3% | 26.8% | 49.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.8% | 23.4% | 43.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More private sector data for Africa Western and Central
- Food imports 15.3% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 54.3% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 163.34 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 12.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 7.0% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 204.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 383.07 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2394 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 20.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 306.56 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central?
- Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central was 43.1% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 55.4% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 1998.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for merchandise trade?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central 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.