Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in United States
United States: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP was 13.5% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Latest (2014)
13.5%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
187th
of 193 countries
All-time high
14.7%
in 2008
All-time low
1.7%
in 1943
Years of data
188
1827–2014
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in United States, 1827–2014
Source: Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2014, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in United States stood at 13.5%.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in United States peaked at 14.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1943.
That places United States 187th out of 193 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 188 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1827 | 8.5% | — |
| 1828 | 7.5% | -12.3% |
| 1829 | 8.0% | +6.5% |
| 1830 | 6.8% | -13.9% |
| 1831 | 7.9% | +14.9% |
| 1832 | 6.7% | -15.3% |
| 1833 | 7.2% | +8.0% |
| 1834 | 10.1% | +40.1% |
| 1835 | 9.1% | -9.8% |
| 1836 | 10.7% | +18.0% |
| 1837 | 8.2% | -23.3% |
| 1838 | 6.4% | -22.5% |
| 1839 | 9.6% | +50.9% |
| 1840 | 6.6% | -31.4% |
| 1841 | 7.7% | +16.3% |
| 1842 | 6.1% | -20.4% |
| 1843 | 3.0% | -51.0% |
| 1844 | 6.3% | +109.7% |
| 1845 | 6.2% | -0.7% |
| 1846 | 5.9% | -6.1% |
| 1847 | 5.2% | -11.5% |
| 1848 | 6.3% | +20.7% |
| 1849 | 6.0% | -4.9% |
| 1850 | 6.9% | +15.2% |
| 1851 | 7.8% | +14.0% |
| 1852 | 6.8% | -12.8% |
| 1853 | 8.0% | +17.9% |
| 1854 | 8.1% | +1.2% |
| 1855 | 6.6% | -19.3% |
| 1856 | 7.7% | +17.8% |
| 1857 | 6.1% | -21.4% |
| 1858 | 6.6% | +9.0% |
| 1859 | 7.6% | +14.7% |
| 1860 | 8.2% | +8.1% |
| 1861 | 6.3% | -23.1% |
| 1862 | 3.3% | -47.9% |
| 1863 | 3.2% | -2.3% |
| 1864 | 3.3% | +3.8% |
| 1865 | 2.4% | -27.2% |
| 1866 | 4.8% | +98.8% |
| 1867 | 4.8% | -1.3% |
| 1868 | 4.4% | -7.5% |
| 1869 | 5.4% | +21.6% |
| 1870 | 5.8% | +7.6% |
| 1871 | 7.0% | +20.9% |
| 1872 | 7.6% | +9.2% |
| 1873 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 1874 | 6.7% | -9.2% |
| 1875 | 6.6% | -2.6% |
| 1876 | 5.6% | -14.7% |
| 1877 | 5.4% | -3.1% |
| 1878 | 5.4% | -1.1% |
| 1879 | 4.9% | -8.9% |
| 1880 | 6.5% | +33.2% |
| 1881 | 5.6% | -14.3% |
| 1882 | 5.9% | +6.7% |
| 1883 | 5.9% | -0.7% |
| 1884 | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| 1885 | 5.1% | -11.5% |
| 1886 | 5.3% | +4.5% |
| 1887 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
| 1888 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 1889 | 5.5% | +3.3% |
| 1890 | 5.3% | -2.5% |
| 1891 | 5.5% | +4.2% |
| 1892 | 5.1% | -7.5% |
| 1893 | 5.7% | +11.4% |
| 1894 | 4.7% | -18.1% |
| 1895 | 4.8% | +2.0% |
| 1896 | 5.2% | +8.3% |
| 1897 | 4.9% | -5.6% |
| 1898 | 3.5% | -27.4% |
| 1899 | 3.7% | +4.3% |
| 1900 | 4.3% | +15.3% |
| 1901 | 3.8% | -10.4% |
| 1902 | 3.8% | +0.3% |
| 1903 | 4.0% | +4.7% |
| 1904 | 3.9% | -2.0% |
| 1905 | 3.9% | +0.2% |
| 1906 | 4.1% | +3.0% |
| 1907 | 4.3% | +5.2% |
| 1908 | 4.0% | -5.4% |
| 1909 | 4.1% | +1.0% |
| 1910 | 4.7% | +15.8% |
| 1911 | 4.5% | -3.8% |
| 1912 | 4.5% | -0.7% |
| 1913 | 4.7% | +4.2% |
| 1914 | 5.2% | +11.3% |
| 1915 | 4.4% | -16.5% |
| 1916 | 4.8% | +10.9% |
| 1917 | 5.0% | +3.1% |
| 1918 | 4.1% | -18.7% |
| 1919 | 5.0% | +24.6% |
| 1920 | 6.0% | +19.1% |
| 1921 | 3.5% | -42.4% |
| 1922 | 4.3% | +24.1% |
| 1923 | 4.5% | +4.4% |
| 1924 | 4.2% | -6.4% |
| 1925 | 4.7% | +11.8% |
| 1926 | 4.6% | -2.0% |
| 1927 | 4.4% | -4.4% |
| 1928 | 4.2% | -3.7% |
| 1929 | 4.3% | +0.9% |
| 1930 | 3.4% | -21.1% |
| 1931 | 2.7% | -18.7% |
| 1932 | 2.3% | -17.6% |
| 1933 | 2.6% | +17.0% |
| 1934 | 2.6% | -0.3% |
| 1935 | 3.2% | +22.8% |
| 1936 | 3.1% | -5.1% |
| 1937 | 3.4% | +11.3% |
| 1938 | 2.5% | -26.6% |
| 1939 | 2.6% | +2.5% |
| 1940 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
| 1941 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1942 | 2.3% | -12.7% |
| 1943 | 1.7% | -26.6% |
| 1944 | 1.8% | +4.8% |
| 1945 | 1.8% | +4.3% |
| 1946 | 2.2% | +19.7% |
| 1947 | 2.3% | +6.2% |
| 1948 | 2.8% | +20.5% |
| 1949 | 2.6% | -6.5% |
| 1950 | 3.0% | +16.0% |
| 1951 | 3.4% | +10.1% |
| 1952 | 3.1% | -8.9% |
| 1953 | 2.9% | -3.6% |
| 1954 | 2.7% | -7.3% |
| 1955 | 2.8% | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 3.0% | +6.6% |
| 1957 | 2.9% | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 3.0% | +2.9% |
| 1959 | 3.2% | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 3.0% | -7.3% |
| 1961 | 2.8% | -6.1% |
| 1962 | 2.9% | +3.7% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 3.1% | +5.2% |
| 1966 | 3.4% | +10.4% |
| 1967 | 3.3% | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 3.8% | +12.5% |
| 1969 | 3.8% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 4.0% | +5.4% |
| 1971 | 4.2% | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 4.6% | +10.8% |
| 1973 | 5.2% | +12.4% |
| 1974 | 7.1% | +36.7% |
| 1975 | 6.2% | -12.1% |
| 1976 | 7.0% | +12.7% |
| 1977 | 7.7% | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 7.9% | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 8.4% | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 9.0% | +6.3% |
| 1981 | 8.5% | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 7.6% | -10.5% |
| 1983 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 8.4% | +13.8% |
| 1985 | 8.3% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 8.4% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 8.7% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 8.8% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 8.7% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 8.6% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 8.2% | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 8.5% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 8.8% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 9.4% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 10.1% | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 10.1% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 12.0% | +10.9% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -7.7% |
| 2002 | 11.0% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 12.4% | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 13.2% | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 13.9% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 13.9% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | -24.4% |
| 2010 | 13.2% | +18.3% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | +8.2% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 13.6% | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 8.0% | 7.5% | 8.5% | 3 |
| 1830s | 8.3% | 6.4% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1840s | 5.9% | 3.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 1850s | 7.2% | 6.1% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 1860s | 4.6% | 2.4% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 1870s | 6.2% | 4.9% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1880s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1890s | 4.8% | 3.5% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1900s | 4.0% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1920s | 4.5% | 3.5% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.2% | 4.0% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.4% | 7.4% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 8.2% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 11.0% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More economy & growth data for United States
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 10.53 % change on previous year (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9477 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 67,708 current US$ per person (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 10.53 % change on previous year (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.9477 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 67,708 current LCU per person (2021)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 5.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in United States?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in United States was 13.5% in 2014, according to Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1943.
- How does United States rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- United States ranks 187th out of 193 countries with data for 2014.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates correspond to merchandise import-to-GDP ratios for countries and regions. All ratios are taken at current prices. See source for more details.