Merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries): Merchandise trade was 41.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) is 41.4%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 71.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 1971.
That places East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 14.0% | — |
| 1961 | 13.9% | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 14.0% | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 13.8% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 13.3% | -4.1% |
| 1965 | 12.8% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 12.4% | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 13.1% | +5.4% |
| 1968 | 13.3% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 12.5% | -6.2% |
| 1970 | 12.3% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 12.2% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 13.0% | +7.1% |
| 1973 | 16.7% | +28.4% |
| 1974 | 22.8% | +36.3% |
| 1975 | 20.3% | -11.0% |
| 1976 | 21.4% | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 21.5% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 27.0% | +25.6% |
| 1979 | 31.3% | +15.6% |
| 1980 | 35.5% | +13.6% |
| 1981 | 35.8% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 34.0% | -5.0% |
| 1983 | 33.4% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 33.2% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 30.6% | -7.9% |
| 1986 | 31.0% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 36.8% | +18.7% |
| 1988 | 41.0% | +11.5% |
| 1989 | 44.1% | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 46.7% | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 49.9% | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 51.6% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 54.1% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 54.4% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 54.2% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 49.5% | -8.7% |
| 1997 | 51.3% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 50.9% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 51.1% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 58.1% | +13.7% |
| 2001 | 54.2% | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 56.0% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 61.8% | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 69.0% | +11.5% |
| 2005 | 71.9% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 71.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 68.2% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 63.4% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 49.3% | -22.3% |
| 2010 | 54.1% | +9.7% |
| 2011 | 54.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 51.1% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 49.1% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 41.3% | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 38.4% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 39.8% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 39.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 38.1% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 37.3% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 40.1% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 39.8% | -6.1% |
| 2024 | 40.7% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 41.4% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.3% | 12.4% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.8% | 12.2% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.5% | 30.6% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.4% | 46.7% | 54.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.4% | 49.3% | 71.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.2% | 38.1% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.3% | 37.3% | 42.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
More private sector data for East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Food imports 8.5% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 53.6% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 4.19 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 5.1% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 85.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 5.42 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,560 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2334 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 1,977 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Merchandise trade in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) was 41.4% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 71.9% in 2005.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 1971.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for merchandise trade?
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 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
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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.