Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Merchandise trade was 47.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 47.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 25.9% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 72.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 31.7%, in 1986.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 15th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.7% | — |
| 1961 | 35.7% | -7.7% |
| 1962 | 37.8% | +5.7% |
| 1963 | 40.9% | +8.2% |
| 1964 | 41.5% | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 39.6% | -4.7% |
| 1966 | 39.8% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 39.1% | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 37.4% | -4.4% |
| 1969 | 38.0% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 38.8% | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 42.4% | +9.1% |
| 1972 | 41.4% | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 45.9% | +10.8% |
| 1974 | 61.0% | +32.8% |
| 1975 | 59.4% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 57.2% | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 57.2% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 57.1% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 58.7% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 64.3% | +9.4% |
| 1981 | 64.7% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 56.8% | -12.1% |
| 1983 | 48.6% | -14.5% |
| 1984 | 44.8% | -7.9% |
| 1985 | 39.5% | -11.9% |
| 1986 | 31.7% | -19.8% |
| 1987 | 37.8% | +19.5% |
| 1988 | 41.3% | +9.2% |
| 1989 | 44.9% | +8.8% |
| 1990 | 39.3% | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 48.3% | +22.9% |
| 1992 | 49.7% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 51.3% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 49.2% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 50.1% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 51.6% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 50.1% | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 45.7% | -8.7% |
| 1999 | 47.2% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 51.1% | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 49.1% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 51.8% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 54.9% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 61.0% | +11.0% |
| 2005 | 65.5% | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 66.1% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 67.6% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 61.1% | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 63.3% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 65.4% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 66.6% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 67.2% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 64.1% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 57.0% | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 52.1% | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 53.9% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 57.9% | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 56.8% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 51.4% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 57.5% | +11.7% |
| 2022 | 63.2% | +9.9% |
| 2023 | 62.5% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 63.6% | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 47.2% | -25.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.9% | 35.7% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 51.9% | 38.8% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.4% | 31.7% | 64.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.3% | 39.3% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.1% | 49.1% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.4% | 52.1% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.6% | 47.2% | 63.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 12 Czechia 137.3% compare
- 13 Hungary 133.1% compare
- 14 Cambodia 127.1% compare
- 15 Lao People's Democratic Republic 124.1% compare
- 16 Thailand 118.6% compare
- 17 American Samoa 117.7% compare
- 18 North Macedonia 115.8% compare
More private sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Food imports 11.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 1.70 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 4.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 23.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 1.79 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,163 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3487 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 2,055 current US$ per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 47.2% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.7% in 1986.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for merchandise trade?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 15th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.