Merchandise trade in Low income
Low income: Merchandise trade was 40.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Low income, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Low income is 40.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Low income peaked at 44.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 1991.
Low income ranks 39th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Low income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 24.5% | — |
| 1961 | 22.7% | -7.5% |
| 1962 | 21.8% | -4.1% |
| 1963 | 19.7% | -9.3% |
| 1964 | 24.3% | +23.2% |
| 1965 | 20.7% | -14.9% |
| 1966 | 22.0% | +6.1% |
| 1967 | 22.5% | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 23.2% | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 22.3% | -3.9% |
| 1970 | 23.8% | +6.7% |
| 1971 | 22.6% | -4.9% |
| 1972 | 22.2% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 22.9% | +3.2% |
| 1974 | 26.0% | +13.2% |
| 1975 | 24.1% | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 26.2% | +8.8% |
| 1977 | 25.9% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 22.9% | -11.5% |
| 1979 | 27.1% | +18.5% |
| 1980 | 31.9% | +17.6% |
| 1981 | 30.4% | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 26.9% | -11.3% |
| 1983 | 28.1% | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 28.1% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 27.3% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 25.2% | -7.5% |
| 1987 | 24.9% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 24.5% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 25.1% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 21.7% | -13.8% |
| 1991 | 17.5% | -19.4% |
| 1992 | 26.5% | +51.5% |
| 1993 | 25.1% | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 29.3% | +16.8% |
| 1995 | 34.6% | +18.3% |
| 1996 | 40.6% | +17.3% |
| 1997 | 35.7% | -12.2% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 33.9% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 36.5% | +15.2% |
| 2002 | 36.7% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 37.5% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 41.7% | +11.2% |
| 2005 | 43.5% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 43.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 42.3% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 44.1% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 38.5% | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 40.6% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 42.0% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 41.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 38.9% | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 35.1% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 32.9% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 35.8% | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 38.5% | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 36.2% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 35.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 36.1% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 40.1% | +11.1% |
| 2024 | 38.4% | -4.4% |
| 2025 | 40.8% | +6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.4% | 19.7% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 24.4% | 22.2% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.2% | 24.5% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.9% | 17.5% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.6% | 31.7% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 32.9% | 42.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.1% | 35.8% | 40.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low income
More private sector data for Low income
- Food imports 17.6% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 59.0% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 152.49 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports 106.71 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 139.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.166 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 15.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 198.69 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2373 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), annual growth rate 12.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Low income?
- Merchandise trade in Low income was 40.8% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Low income?
- The highest recorded value was 44.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Low income?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 1991.
- How does Low income rank for merchandise trade?
- Low income ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Low income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low income 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.