Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Africa
Africa: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio was 72.2% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
72.2%
Change on year
up 8.4%
Rank
5th
of 6 groups
All-time high
79.7%
in 2008
All-time low
40.8%
in 1962
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Africa, 1960–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2011, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Africa stood at 72.2%.
That represents a change of up 8.4% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Africa peaked at 79.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 40.8%, in 1962.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.6% | — |
| 1961 | 48.0% | -5.1% |
| 1962 | 40.8% | -15.1% |
| 1963 | 49.2% | +20.8% |
| 1964 | 48.5% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 46.7% | -3.8% |
| 1966 | 47.5% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 44.8% | -5.6% |
| 1968 | 44.5% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 44.1% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 42.8% | -2.8% |
| 1971 | 43.7% | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 42.9% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 46.1% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 57.0% | +23.6% |
| 1975 | 56.5% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 55.3% | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 56.5% | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 54.7% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 57.9% | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 61.2% | +5.6% |
| 1981 | 61.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 55.4% | -9.5% |
| 1983 | 51.3% | -7.3% |
| 1984 | 53.1% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 52.3% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 47.5% | -9.2% |
| 1987 | 47.2% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 50.1% | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 51.9% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 53.5% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 52.5% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 54.4% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 53.5% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 55.8% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 58.5% | +4.8% |
| 1996 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 56.4% | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 53.8% | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 53.9% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 59.2% | +9.8% |
| 2001 | 59.5% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 62.0% | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 64.5% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 66.8% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 71.6% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 72.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 74.5% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 79.7% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 66.3% | -16.8% |
| 2010 | 66.6% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 72.2% | +8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.5% | 40.8% | 50.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 51.4% | 42.8% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.1% | 47.2% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.0% | 52.5% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.7% | 59.2% | 79.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.4% | 66.6% | 72.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 2 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 146.3% compare
- 3 Seychelles 144.7% compare
- 4 Zimbabwe 137.3% compare
- 5 Eswatini 137.1% compare
- 6 Djibouti 134.2% compare
- 7 Mauritania 124.8% compare
- 8 Congo 122.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2028)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.26 Percent per annum (2028)
- Gross Domestic Product, GDP in millions constant 2021 international $ 10.08 million (2027)
- Gross Domestic Product — Annual growth US$ per capita 7.84 % (2024)
- GDP Deflator — Value US$, 2015 prices 101.78 USD (2024)
- Gross Domestic Product — Annual growth US$ 10.34 % (2024)
- Gross Domestic Product — Value US$, 2015 prices 3.04 million million USD (2024)
- Gross Fixed Capital Formation Deflator — Value US$, 2015 prices 88.82 USD (2024)
- Gross Domestic Product — Value US$ per capita, 2015 prices 2,011 USD (2024)
- Gross Domestic Product — Value US$ per capita 2,047 USD (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Africa?
- Merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Africa was 72.2% in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 79.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.8% in 1962.
- How does Africa rank for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
- Africa ranks 5th out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is merchandise trade to gdp ratio rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise trade as a share of GDP is the sum of merchandise exports and imports divided by the value of GDP, all in current US dollars and from the national accounts.