Transport services in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Transport services was 49.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Transport services in Least developed countries, 1980–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2024, transport services in Least developed countries stood at 49.9%.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in Least developed countries peaked at 63.9% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 45.1%, in 1995.
That places Least developed countries 2nd out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Transport services in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 63.0% | — |
| 1981 | 63.7% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 63.9% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 61.1% | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 62.0% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 55.1% | -11.1% |
| 1986 | 56.7% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 54.3% | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 52.6% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 55.0% | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 56.8% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 51.3% | -9.7% |
| 1992 | 51.3% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 47.9% | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 47.6% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 45.1% | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 48.4% | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 50.8% | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 51.9% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 55.3% | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 55.6% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 56.5% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 57.2% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 56.9% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 55.2% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 51.6% | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 49.7% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 51.2% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 57.9% | +13.2% |
| 2009 | 56.6% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 54.7% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 54.7% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 53.8% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 53.2% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 52.4% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 54.7% | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 51.6% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 52.6% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 50.4% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 51.7% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 55.2% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 57.3% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 57.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 51.1% | -11.0% |
| 2024 | 49.9% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 58.7% | 52.6% | 63.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.7% | 45.1% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.8% | 49.7% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.0% | 50.4% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.2% | 49.9% | 57.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 1 Djibouti 91.9% compare
- 2 Afghanistan 88.9% compare
- 3 Turks and Caicos Islands 83.1% compare
- 4 Sudan 81.5% compare
- 5 Haiti 76.1% compare
More private sector data for Least developed countries
- Merchandise trade 41.4% (2025)
- Food imports 15.6% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 62.6% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 376.94 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 15.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 20.1% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 311.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 256.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1884 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 10.88 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is transport services in Least developed countries?
- Transport services in Least developed countries was 49.9% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest transport services recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 1982.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.1% in 1995.
- How does Least developed countries rank for transport services?
- Least developed countries ranks 2nd out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is transport services rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Transport services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Transport is the process of carriage of people and objects from one location to another as well as related supporting and auxiliary services. Also included are postal and courier services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.