Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio was 73.2% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
73.2%
Change on year
up 8.8%
Rank
3rd
of 6 groups
All-time high
78.9%
in 2008
All-time low
40.3%
in 1962
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2011, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 73.2%.
That represents a change of up 8.8% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 78.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 40.3%, 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, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45.5% | — |
| 1961 | 42.6% | -6.5% |
| 1962 | 40.3% | -5.4% |
| 1963 | 49.3% | +22.4% |
| 1964 | 49.2% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 47.9% | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 48.7% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 46.4% | -4.7% |
| 1968 | 46.2% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 44.9% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 42.7% | -5.0% |
| 1971 | 44.6% | +4.5% |
| 1972 | 43.1% | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 45.4% | +5.4% |
| 1974 | 53.2% | +17.1% |
| 1975 | 51.8% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 51.5% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 52.4% | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 51.2% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 53.4% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 58.1% | +8.9% |
| 1981 | 56.2% | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 50.6% | -9.9% |
| 1983 | 46.8% | -7.5% |
| 1984 | 49.3% | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 49.7% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 49.0% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 49.8% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 49.3% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 50.0% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 50.6% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 48.2% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 52.3% | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 51.6% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 55.9% | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 58.6% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 59.8% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 58.7% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 57.7% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 57.9% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 63.6% | +9.8% |
| 2001 | 64.0% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 64.9% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 65.7% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 65.7% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 70.3% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 71.4% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 72.9% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 78.9% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 65.8% | -16.7% |
| 2010 | 67.2% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | +8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.1% | 40.3% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.9% | 42.7% | 53.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.9% | 46.8% | 58.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.1% | 48.2% | 59.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.3% | 63.6% | 78.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.2% | 67.2% | 73.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2786 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 160.95 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0962 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 466.09 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1718 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2144 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0917 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 287.43 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Merchandise trade to gdp ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa was 73.2% in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade to gdp ratio recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.3% in 1962.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is merchandise trade to gdp ratio rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.