External balance on goods and services in India
India: External balance on goods and services was -1.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in India, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, external balance on goods and services in India stood at -1.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in India peaked at 0.6% in 1976 and was at its lowest, -6.7%, in 2012.
India ranks 91st of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -2.4% | — |
| 1961 | -1.7% | -30.2% |
| 1962 | -1.9% | +12.6% |
| 1963 | -1.6% | -12.7% |
| 1964 | -2.0% | +20.5% |
| 1965 | -1.9% | -2.8% |
| 1966 | -2.5% | +32.8% |
| 1967 | -1.9% | -24.4% |
| 1968 | -0.9% | -52.7% |
| 1969 | -0.3% | -64.9% |
| 1970 | -0.1% | -69.7% |
| 1971 | -0.3% | +248.7% |
| 1972 | 0.3% | -195.0% |
| 1973 | -0.5% | -261.5% |
| 1974 | -1.2% | +131.1% |
| 1975 | -1.0% | -15.9% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -157.2% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -79.3% |
| 1978 | -0.3% | -331.2% |
| 1979 | -1.4% | +419.3% |
| 1980 | -3.1% | +118.8% |
| 1981 | -2.6% | -15.1% |
| 1982 | -2.2% | -18.1% |
| 1983 | -2.0% | -6.7% |
| 1984 | -1.4% | -28.4% |
| 1985 | -2.4% | +65.7% |
| 1986 | -1.8% | -23.6% |
| 1987 | -1.4% | -24.7% |
| 1988 | -1.4% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | -1.1% | -20.0% |
| 1990 | -1.4% | +23.2% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | -100.1% |
| 1992 | -0.7% | -99074.2% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | -102.3% |
| 1994 | -0.3% | -1887.4% |
| 1995 | -1.2% | +290.6% |
| 1996 | -1.2% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | -1.2% | +6.8% |
| 1998 | -1.7% | +34.3% |
| 1999 | -1.9% | +15.0% |
| 2000 | -0.9% | -52.6% |
| 2001 | -0.9% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | -1.0% | +11.8% |
| 2003 | -0.7% | -28.9% |
| 2004 | -1.8% | +156.3% |
| 2005 | -2.8% | +56.3% |
| 2006 | -3.2% | +14.2% |
| 2007 | -4.1% | +28.2% |
| 2008 | -5.2% | +26.6% |
| 2009 | -5.5% | +5.8% |
| 2010 | -4.5% | -18.6% |
| 2011 | -6.5% | +46.9% |
| 2012 | -6.7% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | -3.0% | -55.7% |
| 2014 | -3.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | -2.3% | -23.1% |
| 2016 | -1.8% | -23.1% |
| 2017 | -3.2% | +78.9% |
| 2018 | -3.8% | +19.1% |
| 2019 | -2.6% | -31.5% |
| 2020 | -0.4% | -84.7% |
| 2021 | -2.6% | +567.6% |
| 2022 | -2.6% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | -1.6% | -38.4% |
| 2024 | -1.8% | +10.9% |
| 2025 | -1.7% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.7% | -2.5% | -0.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.4% | -1.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.0% | -3.1% | -1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.0% | -1.9% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.6% | -5.5% | -0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.7% | -6.7% | -1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.8% | -2.6% | -0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,734 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.02 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 2,758 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 89.11 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 240,821 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 7.17 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in India?
- External balance on goods and services in India was -1.7% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1976.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was -6.7% in 2012.
- How does India rank for external balance on goods and services?
- India ranks 91st out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. 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.