Merchandise trade in Cuba
Cuba: Merchandise trade was 8.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise trade in Cuba, 1970–2020
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Cuba is 8.3%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is down 28.1% on the previous year and down 69.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Cuba peaked at 63.9% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 2020.
Cuba ranks 204th of 204 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise trade in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.4% | — |
| 1971 | 32.5% | -21.5% |
| 1972 | 26.1% | -19.5% |
| 1973 | 32.1% | +22.7% |
| 1974 | 46.5% | +45.1% |
| 1975 | 58.0% | +24.7% |
| 1976 | 55.4% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 61.2% | +10.5% |
| 1978 | 51.9% | -15.2% |
| 1979 | 50.6% | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 60.7% | +19.9% |
| 1981 | 59.3% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 59.9% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 61.4% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 59.8% | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 63.9% | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 51.6% | -19.2% |
| 1988 | 47.7% | -7.6% |
| 1989 | 47.7% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 33.9% | -28.9% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | -34.4% |
| 1992 | 14.0% | -36.8% |
| 1993 | 11.2% | -20.4% |
| 1994 | 12.1% | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 14.5% | +20.3% |
| 1996 | 20.9% | +43.5% |
| 1997 | 22.9% | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 22.2% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 20.7% | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 21.3% | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 20.5% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 16.7% | -18.8% |
| 2003 | 17.7% | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +17.4% |
| 2005 | 24.4% | +17.3% |
| 2006 | 27.5% | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 27.4% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 34.3% | +25.3% |
| 2009 | 22.1% | -35.6% |
| 2010 | 27.6% | +24.6% |
| 2011 | 30.0% | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 25.9% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | -22.1% |
| 2016 | 13.8% | -20.3% |
| 2017 | 13.0% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | -28.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 45.6% | 26.1% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.3% | 47.7% | 63.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.4% | 11.2% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.3% | 16.7% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 11.6% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
More private sector data for Cuba
- Food imports 25.2% (2022)
- Manufactures imports 38.3% (2022)
- Merchandise imports 8.75 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 30.7% (2022)
- Manufactures exports 7.8% (2022)
- Merchandise exports 1.62 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 148.12 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0159 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 0.809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 799.66 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Cuba?
- Merchandise trade in Cuba was 8.3% in 2020, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 1986.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 2020.
- How does Cuba rank for merchandise trade?
- Cuba ranks 204th out of 204 countries with data for 2020.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cuba 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 — 51 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.