Merchandise trade in New Zealand
New Zealand: Merchandise trade was 35.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in New Zealand stood at 35.7%.
The figure is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in New Zealand peaked at 54.1% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 1962.
New Zealand ranks 161st of 204 countries 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 New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.5% | — |
| 1961 | 29.6% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 25.3% | -14.6% |
| 1963 | 27.1% | +7.0% |
| 1964 | 27.7% | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 36.1% | +30.2% |
| 1966 | 36.7% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 32.4% | -11.7% |
| 1968 | 36.4% | +12.5% |
| 1969 | 38.1% | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 38.0% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 34.2% | -9.9% |
| 1972 | 34.6% | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 37.3% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 43.6% | +17.1% |
| 1975 | 41.3% | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 44.5% | +7.6% |
| 1977 | 42.4% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 39.0% | -8.1% |
| 1979 | 44.7% | +14.5% |
| 1980 | 46.9% | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 46.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 47.0% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 44.2% | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 54.1% | +22.4% |
| 1985 | 47.5% | -12.3% |
| 1986 | 39.0% | -17.8% |
| 1987 | 35.8% | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 35.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 40.2% | +12.2% |
| 1990 | 41.5% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 42.1% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 45.6% | +8.3% |
| 1993 | 43.1% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 43.6% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 43.2% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 41.5% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 43.5% | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 43.7% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 45.6% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 51.7% | +13.4% |
| 2001 | 50.2% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 44.2% | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 39.8% | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 41.9% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 41.8% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 43.8% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 42.1% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 48.7% | +15.5% |
| 2009 | 41.5% | -14.7% |
| 2010 | 42.2% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 44.4% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 42.8% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 41.4% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 41.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 39.8% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 37.0% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 37.9% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 38.4% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 35.4% | -7.9% |
| 2021 | 37.3% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 39.8% | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 35.6% | -10.4% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | -4.3% |
| 2025 | 35.7% | +4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.9% | 25.3% | 38.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.0% | 34.2% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.7% | 35.8% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.3% | 41.5% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.6% | 39.8% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.5% | 37.0% | 44.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.3% | 34.1% | 39.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More private sector data for New Zealand
- Food imports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 47.55 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 69.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 14.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 46.70 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,770 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1769 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 10.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 8,930 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in New Zealand?
- Merchandise trade in New Zealand was 35.7% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 54.1% in 1984.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 1962.
- How does New Zealand rank for merchandise trade?
- New Zealand ranks 161st out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.