Merchandise trade in Belgium
Belgium: Merchandise trade was 152.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Belgium, 1999–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Belgium is 152.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Belgium peaked at 213.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 133.2%, in 1999.
Belgium ranks 8th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 133.2% | — |
| 2000 | 154.5% | +16.0% |
| 2001 | 155.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 160.4% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 154.2% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 160.5% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 169.3% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 176.0% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 178.9% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 181.3% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 149.2% | -17.7% |
| 2010 | 165.9% | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 178.8% | +7.8% |
| 2012 | 177.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 175.6% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 172.1% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 167.5% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 163.9% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 167.5% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 170.2% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 163.2% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 154.6% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 180.1% | +16.5% |
| 2022 | 213.6% | +18.6% |
| 2023 | 175.7% | -17.7% |
| 2024 | 161.0% | -8.3% |
| 2025 | 152.4% | -5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 133.2% | 133.2% | 133.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 164.0% | 149.2% | 181.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 170.2% | 163.2% | 178.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 172.9% | 152.4% | 213.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More private sector data for Belgium
- Food imports 11.8% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 66.2% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 537.70 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 13.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 69.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 568.11 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 47,573 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7831 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 2.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 45,027 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Belgium?
- Merchandise trade in Belgium was 152.4% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 213.6% in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 133.2% in 1999.
- How does Belgium rank for merchandise trade?
- Belgium ranks 8th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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 — 27 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.