Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Merchandise trade to GDP ratio was 72.5% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
72.5%
Change on year
up 8.9%
Rank
4th
of 6 groups
All-time high
78.2%
in 2008
All-time low
40.1%
in 1962
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 72.5% for merchandise trade to gdp ratio in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.9% on the previous year and up 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 78.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 1962.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45.3% | — |
| 1961 | 42.4% | -6.5% |
| 1962 | 40.1% | -5.4% |
| 1963 | 49.1% | +22.5% |
| 1964 | 49.0% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 47.7% | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 48.5% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 46.2% | -4.7% |
| 1968 | 46.0% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 44.8% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 42.5% | -5.0% |
| 1971 | 44.4% | +4.5% |
| 1972 | 42.9% | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 45.2% | +5.4% |
| 1974 | 52.9% | +17.1% |
| 1975 | 51.6% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 51.3% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 52.2% | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 51.0% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 53.1% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 57.8% | +8.9% |
| 1981 | 56.0% | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 50.4% | -9.9% |
| 1983 | 46.7% | -7.5% |
| 1984 | 49.1% | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 49.5% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 48.7% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 49.6% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 49.1% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 49.8% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 50.4% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 48.0% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 52.1% | +8.6% |
| 1993 | 51.4% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 55.6% | +8.1% |
| 1995 | 58.3% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 59.4% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 58.2% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 57.2% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 57.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 63.1% | +9.9% |
| 2001 | 63.3% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 64.4% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 65.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 64.9% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 69.6% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 70.8% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 72.4% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 78.2% | +8.1% |
| 2009 | 64.9% | -17.0% |
| 2010 | 66.5% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 72.5% | +8.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.9% | 40.1% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.7% | 42.5% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.7% | 46.7% | 57.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.8% | 48.0% | 59.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.7% | 63.1% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.5% | 66.5% | 72.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 1 Lesotho 159.0% compare
- 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
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 4.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.147 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 245.62 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.8257 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 1,380 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,655 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9901 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 3.8 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 72.5% in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 1962.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 4th out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is merchandise trade to gdp ratio rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.
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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.