Merchandise trade in Liberia
Liberia: Merchandise trade was 87.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise trade in Liberia, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 87.0% for merchandise trade in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 39.1% on the previous year and up 42.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Liberia peaked at 986.6% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 2003.
That places Liberia 37th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise trade in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 79.8% | — |
| 1961 | 83.2% | +4.3% |
| 1962 | 104.2% | +25.3% |
| 1963 | 94.4% | -9.4% |
| 1964 | 108.3% | +14.7% |
| 1965 | 104.7% | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 108.0% | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 108.8% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 100.1% | -8.0% |
| 1969 | 101.3% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 112.7% | +11.2% |
| 1971 | 111.0% | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 114.9% | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 133.6% | +16.3% |
| 1974 | 141.3% | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 125.5% | -11.2% |
| 1976 | 144.0% | +14.7% |
| 1977 | 135.4% | -6.0% |
| 1978 | 137.3% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 128.2% | -6.6% |
| 1980 | 132.8% | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 115.3% | -13.2% |
| 1982 | 104.8% | -9.1% |
| 1983 | 102.0% | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 96.1% | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 84.6% | -11.9% |
| 1986 | 79.3% | -6.2% |
| 1987 | 70.9% | -10.6% |
| 1988 | 64.3% | -9.3% |
| 1989 | 138.0% | +114.5% |
| 1990 | 374.1% | +171.1% |
| 1991 | 210.1% | -43.8% |
| 1992 | 431.8% | +105.5% |
| 1993 | 529.9% | +22.7% |
| 1994 | 573.4% | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 986.6% | +72.1% |
| 1996 | 743.4% | -24.7% |
| 1997 | 351.5% | -52.7% |
| 1998 | 248.9% | -29.2% |
| 1999 | 223.9% | -10.1% |
| 2000 | 114.1% | -49.0% |
| 2001 | 39.4% | -65.5% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 37.3% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 49.2% | +31.8% |
| 2005 | 46.5% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 55.9% | +20.2% |
| 2007 | 50.9% | -8.8% |
| 2008 | 61.1% | +20.1% |
| 2009 | 39.6% | -35.2% |
| 2010 | 46.6% | +17.8% |
| 2011 | 58.8% | +26.1% |
| 2012 | 52.5% | -10.8% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 75.7% | +40.7% |
| 2015 | 61.0% | -19.3% |
| 2016 | 46.5% | -23.8% |
| 2017 | 42.7% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 49.4% | +15.8% |
| 2019 | 47.5% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 53.8% | +13.4% |
| 2021 | 67.2% | +24.8% |
| 2022 | 68.7% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 72.5% | +5.5% |
| 2024 | 62.5% | -13.7% |
| 2025 | 87.0% | +39.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 99.3% | 79.8% | 108.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 128.4% | 111.0% | 144.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 98.8% | 64.3% | 138.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 467.3% | 210.1% | 986.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.2% | 37.3% | 114.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.5% | 42.7% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.6% | 53.8% | 87.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More private sector data for Liberia
- Food imports 23.1% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 42.8% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 2.49 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 24.5% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 9.9% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 2.07 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 360.83 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3942 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 57.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 435.16 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Liberia?
- Merchandise trade in Liberia was 87.0% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 986.6% in 1995.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 2003.
- How does Liberia rank for merchandise trade?
- Liberia ranks 37th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia 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.