Trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Trade was 57.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1970–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 57.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.3% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 85.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 52.1%, in 1986.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 14th out of 43 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 53.8% | — |
| 1971 | 55.0% | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 56.3% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 73.6% | +30.7% |
| 1974 | 70.2% | -4.6% |
| 1975 | 77.4% | +10.3% |
| 1976 | 71.6% | -7.5% |
| 1977 | 74.0% | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 72.4% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 73.2% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 77.8% | +6.3% |
| 1981 | 78.3% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 73.8% | -5.7% |
| 1983 | 67.9% | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 64.5% | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 59.6% | -7.6% |
| 1986 | 52.1% | -12.6% |
| 1987 | 54.3% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 54.9% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 59.4% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 60.8% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 63.3% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 60.1% | -5.2% |
| 1993 | 58.5% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 55.2% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 57.0% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 56.5% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 61.8% | +9.4% |
| 1998 | 59.9% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 61.3% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 65.0% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 66.2% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 67.5% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 73.0% | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 76.9% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 80.8% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 81.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 83.7% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 85.7% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 78.3% | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 76.0% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 78.2% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 79.8% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 78.8% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 76.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 72.3% | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 68.0% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 70.8% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 73.1% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 71.4% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 67.1% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 71.0% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 78.0% | +10.0% |
| 2023 | 77.3% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 61.1% | -21.0% |
| 2025 | 57.2% | -6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 67.7% | 53.8% | 77.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.3% | 52.1% | 78.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.4% | 55.2% | 63.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 75.8% | 65.0% | 85.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.5% | 68.0% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.6% | 57.2% | 78.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More economy & growth data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1741 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 4.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 1,005 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.162 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 59.93 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.4665 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,080 current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0162 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -56.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 83.25 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 57.2% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 85.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.1% in 1986.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for trade?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 14th out of 43 groups with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 — 56 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.