External balance on goods and services in Middle income
Middle income: External balance on goods and services was 1.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Middle income, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Middle income recorded 1.1% for external balance on goods and services in 2025.
That represents a change of up 68.9% on the previous year and up 440.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Middle income peaked at 2.9% in 2006 and was at its lowest, -3.9%, in 1981.
That places Middle income 15th out of 44 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -1.2% | — |
| 1961 | -0.7% | -37.1% |
| 1962 | -0.8% | +12.1% |
| 1963 | -0.6% | -32.9% |
| 1964 | -0.9% | +66.0% |
| 1965 | -0.7% | -19.4% |
| 1966 | -0.9% | +17.3% |
| 1967 | -1.0% | +14.7% |
| 1968 | -1.0% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | -0.9% | -11.6% |
| 1970 | -1.3% | +49.0% |
| 1971 | -1.5% | +14.6% |
| 1972 | -0.8% | -45.7% |
| 1973 | 0.2% | -124.0% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | +62.7% |
| 1975 | -2.7% | -945.8% |
| 1976 | -1.0% | -61.5% |
| 1977 | -1.5% | +41.3% |
| 1978 | -1.8% | +25.4% |
| 1979 | -0.2% | -90.5% |
| 1980 | -1.8% | +927.8% |
| 1981 | -3.9% | +119.8% |
| 1982 | -3.1% | -21.0% |
| 1983 | -1.4% | -56.0% |
| 1984 | -0.3% | -74.9% |
| 1985 | -1.0% | +203.7% |
| 1986 | -2.0% | +96.3% |
| 1987 | -0.2% | -89.5% |
| 1988 | -0.9% | +340.1% |
| 1989 | -0.9% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | -0.8% | -9.6% |
| 1991 | -1.2% | +40.9% |
| 1992 | -1.5% | +30.9% |
| 1993 | -2.1% | +39.0% |
| 1994 | -1.4% | -31.4% |
| 1995 | -1.2% | -16.0% |
| 1996 | -1.0% | -16.2% |
| 1997 | -0.6% | -40.3% |
| 1998 | -0.3% | -54.4% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -289.8% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +44.1% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -52.2% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +210.9% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -12.7% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | +96.5% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +46.7% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -23.6% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -59.1% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -40.8% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -50.0% |
| 2013 | -0.1% | -135.2% |
| 2014 | -0.1% | -16.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -369.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -57.7% |
| 2017 | -0.1% | -235.0% |
| 2018 | -0.5% | +337.4% |
| 2019 | -0.3% | -47.3% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -293.2% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | +40.2% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -42.3% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | +71.3% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | +68.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.9% | -1.2% | -0.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.0% | -2.7% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.6% | -3.9% | -0.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.0% | -2.1% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 0.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More economy & growth data for Middle income
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2024 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3019 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,046 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 5.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.242 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 1,641 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.081 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 549.02 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3144 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Middle income?
- External balance on goods and services in Middle income was 1.1% 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2006.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.9% in 1981.
- How does Middle income rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Middle income ranks 15th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 440.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this 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.
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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.