External balance on goods and services in Lower middle income
Lower middle income: External balance on goods and services was -3.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Lower middle income, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Lower middle income recorded -3.1% for external balance on goods and services in 2025.
That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Lower middle income peaked at 0.5% in 1974 and was at its lowest, -6.2%, in 1978.
That places Lower middle income 35th out of 44 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Lower middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -1.4% | — |
| 1961 | -1.0% | -26.1% |
| 1962 | -0.9% | -14.1% |
| 1963 | -0.8% | -16.6% |
| 1964 | -1.8% | +144.9% |
| 1965 | -2.2% | +18.9% |
| 1966 | -2.1% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | -2.0% | -5.9% |
| 1968 | -1.6% | -18.1% |
| 1969 | -1.2% | -22.0% |
| 1970 | -1.5% | +21.0% |
| 1971 | -1.7% | +13.4% |
| 1972 | -1.2% | -30.8% |
| 1973 | -0.7% | -40.8% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -174.0% |
| 1975 | -3.5% | -773.0% |
| 1976 | -3.4% | -1.9% |
| 1977 | -4.7% | +36.1% |
| 1978 | -6.2% | +32.8% |
| 1979 | -4.8% | -22.5% |
| 1980 | -4.6% | -4.3% |
| 1981 | -4.3% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | -5.1% | +20.4% |
| 1983 | -3.0% | -41.2% |
| 1984 | -3.4% | +14.4% |
| 1985 | -3.7% | +8.7% |
| 1986 | -4.1% | +10.5% |
| 1987 | -4.1% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | -5.0% | +23.6% |
| 1989 | -3.4% | -32.3% |
| 1990 | -2.9% | -16.0% |
| 1991 | -1.5% | -46.3% |
| 1992 | -1.8% | +15.9% |
| 1993 | -1.7% | -6.3% |
| 1994 | -1.4% | -19.3% |
| 1995 | -1.7% | +29.1% |
| 1996 | -1.7% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | -1.9% | +8.0% |
| 1998 | -2.1% | +13.1% |
| 1999 | -2.4% | +10.2% |
| 2000 | -1.4% | -39.7% |
| 2001 | -1.4% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | -0.7% | -50.6% |
| 2003 | -0.5% | -22.5% |
| 2004 | -0.7% | +39.6% |
| 2005 | -1.1% | +50.8% |
| 2006 | -0.9% | -21.3% |
| 2007 | -2.2% | +150.1% |
| 2008 | -3.1% | +43.0% |
| 2009 | -4.1% | +32.0% |
| 2010 | -2.6% | -36.7% |
| 2011 | -3.4% | +31.8% |
| 2012 | -4.1% | +22.3% |
| 2013 | -3.6% | -14.1% |
| 2014 | -2.7% | -23.4% |
| 2015 | -3.5% | +27.7% |
| 2016 | -3.1% | -11.0% |
| 2017 | -3.7% | +20.0% |
| 2018 | -4.1% | +9.8% |
| 2019 | -3.0% | -27.4% |
| 2020 | -2.2% | -24.6% |
| 2021 | -3.6% | +60.4% |
| 2022 | -3.9% | +7.8% |
| 2023 | -2.5% | -34.6% |
| 2024 | -2.8% | +11.5% |
| 2025 | -3.1% | +8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.5% | -2.2% | -0.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.7% | -6.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | -4.1% | -5.1% | -3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.9% | -2.9% | -1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.6% | -4.1% | -0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.4% | -4.1% | -2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -3.0% | -3.9% | -2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lower middle income
More economy & growth data for Lower middle income
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.7321 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 5.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.1054 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 261.65 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 6.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 6.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 1,785 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.7194 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 298.08 current US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 1,817 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Lower middle income?
- External balance on goods and services in Lower middle income was -3.1% 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 Lower middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 1974.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Lower middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was -6.2% in 1978.
- How does Lower middle income rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Lower middle income ranks 35th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Lower middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lower middle income 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.