Trade in services in South Asia
South Asia: Trade in services was 14.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Trade in services in South Asia, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in services in South Asia stood at 14.5%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 30.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services in South Asia peaked at 14.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1975.
That places South Asia 15th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Trade in services in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.0% | — |
| 1976 | 2.3% | +11.3% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | +9.9% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | +19.9% |
| 1980 | 3.6% | +17.1% |
| 1981 | 3.5% | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -5.9% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 3.7% | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 3.7% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | +20.2% |
| 1992 | 4.5% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 5.0% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 5.1% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | +14.5% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | +9.0% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 10.2% | +26.1% |
| 2005 | 11.7% | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 13.1% | +11.9% |
| 2007 | 12.6% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 13.1% | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -19.0% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 11.5% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 11.4% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 10.8% | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 11.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 13.6% | +23.6% |
| 2023 | 13.5% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 14.1% | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 14.5% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.1% | 5 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 3.7% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 7.7% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 10.6% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 10.8% | 14.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 12 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 95.1% compare
- 13 Naoero 91.0% compare
- 14 Cayman Islands 87.1% compare
- 15 Tuvalu 84.5% compare
- 16 Suriname 84.2% compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 81.5% compare
- 18 Grenada 81.2% compare
More economy & growth data for South Asia
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6891 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.03 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,724 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.6373 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 7.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,864 current US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 1,504 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 7.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.5559 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 5.36 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services in South Asia?
- Trade in services in South Asia was 14.5% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest trade in services recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1975.
- How does South Asia rank for trade in services?
- South Asia ranks 15th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Trade in services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. 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.