Merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend
Pre-demographic dividend: Merchandise trade was 45.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend stood at 45.3%.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend peaked at 53.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 1990.
Pre-demographic dividend ranks 16th of 45 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 Pre-demographic dividend, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30.5% | — |
| 1961 | 29.5% | -3.4% |
| 1962 | 26.9% | -8.8% |
| 1963 | 25.8% | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 30.5% | +18.4% |
| 1965 | 29.4% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 29.5% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 30.1% | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 30.3% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 30.3% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 28.7% | -5.3% |
| 1971 | 34.6% | +20.5% |
| 1972 | 29.8% | -13.8% |
| 1973 | 32.8% | +10.0% |
| 1974 | 43.5% | +32.7% |
| 1975 | 43.8% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 43.7% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 46.0% | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 43.3% | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 47.5% | +9.7% |
| 1980 | 53.8% | +13.3% |
| 1981 | 34.0% | -36.7% |
| 1982 | 31.5% | -7.5% |
| 1983 | 29.8% | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 31.8% | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 31.3% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 28.6% | -8.4% |
| 1987 | 28.7% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 29.4% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 32.4% | +10.3% |
| 1990 | 20.6% | -36.3% |
| 1991 | 28.1% | +35.9% |
| 1992 | 36.3% | +29.2% |
| 1993 | 32.2% | -11.2% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 25.6% | -15.5% |
| 1996 | 24.4% | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 24.1% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 21.5% | -10.7% |
| 1999 | 41.8% | +93.9% |
| 2000 | 43.9% | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 44.3% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | -13.8% |
| 2003 | 41.1% | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 47.6% | +15.8% |
| 2005 | 49.6% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 46.6% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 47.0% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 51.9% | +10.5% |
| 2009 | 45.2% | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 47.0% | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 52.0% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 50.1% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 45.4% | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 42.8% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 36.8% | -14.1% |
| 2016 | 34.0% | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 37.0% | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 34.2% | -16.2% |
| 2020 | 29.8% | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 34.2% | +15.0% |
| 2022 | 38.0% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 41.0% | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 46.8% | +14.3% |
| 2025 | 45.3% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.3% | 25.8% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 39.4% | 28.7% | 47.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.1% | 28.6% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 20.6% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.5% | 38.2% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.0% | 34.0% | 52.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.2% | 29.8% | 46.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pre-demographic dividend
- 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
- 19 Brunei Darussalam 110.0% compare
More private sector data for Pre-demographic dividend
- Food imports 15.5% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 63.9% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 373.79 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 12.3% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 7.6% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 383.71 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 338.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2303 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 329.88 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend?
- Merchandise trade in Pre-demographic dividend was 45.3% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Pre-demographic dividend?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Pre-demographic dividend?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 1990.
- How does Pre-demographic dividend rank for merchandise trade?
- Pre-demographic dividend ranks 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Pre-demographic dividend?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pre-demographic dividend 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.