Merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise trade was 44.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa is 44.5%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 52.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 1998.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 32.4% | — |
| 1961 | 31.3% | -3.4% |
| 1962 | 29.1% | -6.9% |
| 1963 | 28.4% | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 32.6% | +14.9% |
| 1965 | 31.9% | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 30.1% | -5.6% |
| 1967 | 31.3% | +3.9% |
| 1968 | 30.9% | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 30.4% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 29.7% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 32.6% | +10.0% |
| 1972 | 30.3% | -7.0% |
| 1973 | 32.2% | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 39.4% | +22.1% |
| 1975 | 38.1% | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 38.2% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 40.6% | +6.3% |
| 1978 | 39.8% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 41.4% | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 48.7% | +17.8% |
| 1981 | 33.8% | -30.7% |
| 1982 | 30.2% | -10.4% |
| 1983 | 30.6% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 33.3% | +8.5% |
| 1985 | 33.1% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 32.9% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 33.7% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 34.2% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 35.9% | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 33.6% | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | -8.7% |
| 1992 | 35.1% | +14.3% |
| 1993 | 33.9% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 34.5% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 32.6% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 31.3% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 31.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 27.8% | -10.6% |
| 1999 | 39.8% | +42.9% |
| 2000 | 41.6% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 43.3% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 40.7% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 40.6% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 43.1% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 45.0% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 45.3% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 47.2% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 52.2% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 43.0% | -17.6% |
| 2010 | 46.0% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 51.6% | +12.1% |
| 2012 | 50.0% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 46.9% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 45.4% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 40.3% | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 38.9% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 38.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 41.4% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 35.3% | -14.9% |
| 2020 | 32.3% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 37.3% | +15.5% |
| 2022 | 40.5% | +8.5% |
| 2023 | 42.3% | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 45.2% | +6.9% |
| 2025 | 44.5% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.8% | 28.4% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.2% | 29.7% | 41.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.6% | 30.2% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.1% | 27.8% | 39.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.2% | 40.6% | 52.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.5% | 35.3% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 32.3% | 45.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 17 American Samoa 117.7% compare
- 18 North Macedonia 115.8% compare
- 19 Brunei Darussalam 110.0% compare
- 20 Suriname 108.1% compare
- 21 Mongolia 106.7% compare
- 22 Guyana 106.7% compare
- 23 Lesotho 102.9% compare
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 501.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 368.33 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2201 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 379.19 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Merchandise trade in Sub-Saharan Africa was 44.5% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 52.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 1998.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise trade?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.