External balance on goods and services in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: External balance on goods and services was 2.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Upper middle income, 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 Upper middle income stood at 2.1%.
That represents a change of up 39.9% on the previous year and up 89.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Upper middle income peaked at 4.2% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -3.8%, in 1981.
Upper middle income ranks 11th of 44 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -1.1% | — |
| 1961 | -0.6% | -44.2% |
| 1962 | -0.8% | +36.8% |
| 1963 | -0.5% | -42.5% |
| 1964 | -0.4% | -10.3% |
| 1965 | 0.0% | -105.0% |
| 1966 | -0.4% | -1780.7% |
| 1967 | -0.6% | +62.1% |
| 1968 | -0.7% | +23.8% |
| 1969 | -0.7% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | -1.2% | +70.9% |
| 1971 | -1.4% | +14.9% |
| 1972 | -0.7% | -53.6% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | -182.7% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -42.9% |
| 1975 | -2.4% | -868.7% |
| 1976 | -0.2% | -91.6% |
| 1977 | -0.4% | +85.0% |
| 1978 | -0.3% | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | -520.6% |
| 1980 | -0.8% | -154.0% |
| 1981 | -3.8% | +395.4% |
| 1982 | -2.3% | -39.5% |
| 1983 | -0.7% | -70.7% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -220.1% |
| 1985 | -0.0% | -100.6% |
| 1986 | -1.3% | +25389.8% |
| 1987 | 1.2% | -193.9% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -53.5% |
| 1989 | -0.0% | -104.7% |
| 1990 | -0.1% | +320.2% |
| 1991 | -0.8% | +645.2% |
| 1992 | -1.2% | +46.3% |
| 1993 | -2.0% | +61.6% |
| 1994 | -1.2% | -36.6% |
| 1995 | -0.9% | -29.6% |
| 1996 | -0.7% | -25.8% |
| 1997 | -0.1% | -79.7% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -380.8% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +274.0% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -33.1% |
| 2002 | 1.8% | +83.6% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +76.3% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +36.8% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -16.4% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -36.1% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -15.3% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -17.9% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -42.7% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -18.2% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +74.4% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -18.4% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -12.7% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -52.7% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +24.6% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +165.8% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | +16.8% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -36.1% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | +33.4% |
| 2025 | 2.1% | +39.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.6% | -1.1% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.4% | -2.4% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.6% | -3.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.5% | -2.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.0% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More economy & growth data for Upper middle income
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2099 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added 56.9% (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 3,341 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2376 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 2,587 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0644 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 701.52 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3152 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Upper middle income?
- External balance on goods and services in Upper middle income was 2.1% 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2007.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.8% in 1981.
- How does Upper middle income rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Upper middle income ranks 11th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 89.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Upper 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.