Trade in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Trade was 43.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in Least developed countries, 1994–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 43.7% for trade in 2025.
The figure is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Least developed countries peaked at 63.8% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 38.7%, in 1997.
Least developed countries ranks 40th of 41 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Trade in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 39.3% | — |
| 1995 | 43.1% | +9.7% |
| 1996 | 41.2% | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 38.7% | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 40.0% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 39.9% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 40.6% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 41.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 50.5% | +23.1% |
| 2003 | 50.3% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 51.7% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 55.2% | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 55.2% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 59.9% | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 63.8% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 58.8% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 58.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 60.4% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 59.0% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 58.6% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 55.9% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 50.5% | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 46.8% | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 51.3% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 50.5% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 46.4% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 50.8% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 51.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 47.1% | -2.8% |
| 2025 | 43.7% | -7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.4% | 38.7% | 43.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 52.7% | 40.6% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.8% | 46.8% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.9% | 43.7% | 51.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More economy & growth data for Least developed countries
- Industry (including construction), value added 29.7% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.0% (2025)
- Trade in services 8.6% (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added 185.44 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added 14.1% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 490.85 billion current US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 402.31 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 4.9% (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) 1.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator 4.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in Least developed countries?
- Trade in Least developed countries was 43.7% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 63.8% in 2008.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.7% in 1997.
- How does Least developed countries rank for trade?
- Least developed countries ranks 40th out of 41 groups with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. 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.