Merchandise trade in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Merchandise trade was 41.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Least developed countries, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Least developed countries is 41.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Least developed countries peaked at 49.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 19.6%, in 1975.
That places Least developed countries 38th out of 45 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 Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 25.9% | — |
| 1961 | 23.8% | -7.9% |
| 1962 | 22.4% | -5.8% |
| 1963 | 21.4% | -4.7% |
| 1964 | 26.3% | +23.0% |
| 1965 | 23.9% | -9.3% |
| 1966 | 23.9% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 24.0% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 24.3% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 24.6% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 25.6% | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 25.9% | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 22.0% | -15.2% |
| 1973 | 22.7% | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 23.3% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 19.6% | -15.9% |
| 1976 | 22.0% | +12.5% |
| 1977 | 22.8% | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 21.2% | -7.2% |
| 1979 | 23.3% | +9.9% |
| 1980 | 28.0% | +20.2% |
| 1981 | 26.4% | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 23.7% | -10.0% |
| 1983 | 22.9% | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 23.2% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 21.4% | -8.1% |
| 1986 | 23.9% | +11.8% |
| 1987 | 25.3% | +5.9% |
| 1988 | 25.1% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 24.8% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 22.9% | -7.7% |
| 1991 | 20.0% | -12.6% |
| 1992 | 27.0% | +35.0% |
| 1993 | 26.6% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 28.6% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 34.2% | +19.8% |
| 1996 | 35.7% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 35.0% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 34.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 35.4% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 35.2% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 37.6% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 36.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 38.1% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 40.8% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 44.1% | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 45.7% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 49.7% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 43.1% | -13.3% |
| 2010 | 45.0% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 48.7% | +8.2% |
| 2012 | 48.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 47.6% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 44.8% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 41.6% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 38.8% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 40.5% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 42.8% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 40.2% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 41.9% | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 40.8% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 40.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 41.4% | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.1% | 21.4% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.8% | 19.6% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.5% | 21.4% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.0% | 20.0% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.8% | 35.2% | 49.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 38.8% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 36.8% | 42.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More private sector data for Least developed countries
- Food imports 15.6% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 62.6% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 376.94 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 15.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 20.1% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 311.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 256.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1884 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 10.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 310.45 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Least developed countries?
- Merchandise trade in Least developed countries was 41.4% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 49.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6% in 1975.
- How does Least developed countries rank for merchandise trade?
- Least developed countries ranks 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed 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
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.