Merchandise trade in India
India: Merchandise trade was 30.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise trade in India, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
India recorded 30.3% for merchandise trade in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in India peaked at 43.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 1972.
That places India 175th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise trade in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9.8% | — |
| 1961 | 9.4% | -4.7% |
| 1962 | 8.9% | -4.6% |
| 1963 | 8.5% | -5.1% |
| 1964 | 8.1% | -4.3% |
| 1965 | 7.6% | -6.3% |
| 1966 | 11.8% | +55.8% |
| 1967 | 8.7% | -26.1% |
| 1968 | 8.2% | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 6.9% | -15.1% |
| 1970 | 6.6% | -4.0% |
| 1971 | 6.6% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 6.5% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 7.2% | +9.6% |
| 1974 | 9.1% | +27.1% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | +19.7% |
| 1976 | 10.9% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 10.7% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 10.6% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 11.5% | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 12.6% | +9.2% |
| 1981 | 12.3% | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 12.0% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 10.6% | -11.6% |
| 1984 | 11.7% | +9.6% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 10.0% | -7.5% |
| 1987 | 10.0% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 10.9% | +8.8% |
| 1989 | 12.3% | +12.8% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 14.1% | +9.2% |
| 1992 | 15.0% | +6.1% |
| 1993 | 15.9% | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 18.1% | +14.4% |
| 1996 | 18.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 18.4% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 18.1% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 18.0% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 20.0% | +11.3% |
| 2001 | 19.3% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 21.6% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 24.9% | +15.0% |
| 2005 | 29.6% | +18.8% |
| 2006 | 31.9% | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 43.0% | +37.9% |
| 2009 | 31.5% | -26.9% |
| 2010 | 34.4% | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 42.1% | +22.3% |
| 2012 | 43.0% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 42.0% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 38.5% | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 31.5% | -18.3% |
| 2016 | 27.3% | -13.3% |
| 2017 | 28.3% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | +9.9% |
| 2019 | 28.6% | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | -15.0% |
| 2021 | 30.6% | +25.9% |
| 2022 | 36.1% | +18.1% |
| 2023 | 31.6% | -12.6% |
| 2024 | 30.9% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 30.3% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.8% | 6.9% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 6.5% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.3% | 10.0% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.5% | 12.9% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.4% | 19.3% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 27.3% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.6% | 24.3% | 36.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More private sector data for India
- Food imports 5.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 46.5% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 753.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 11.1% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 67.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 445.28 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 304.18 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1126 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 0.5401 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 514.72 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in India?
- Merchandise trade in India was 30.3% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 43.0% in 2012.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 1972.
- How does India rank for merchandise trade?
- India ranks 175th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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.