Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Merchandise trade was 43.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central is 43.1%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central peaked at 55.4% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 1998.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.2% | 29.5% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.9% | 25.2% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.0% | 25.0% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.8% | 17.6% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.3% | 36.1% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.3% | 26.8% | 49.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.8% | 23.4% | 43.1% | 6 |
More private sector data for Africa Western and Central
- Merchandise exports 204.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 7.0% (2023)
- Food exports 12.1% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 163.34 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures imports 54.3% (2023)
- Food imports 15.3% (2023)
- Commercial service exports 23.98 billion current US$ (2024)
- Transport services 39.8% (2024)
- Computer, communications and other services 35.9% (2024)
- Commercial service imports 64.22 billion current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central?
- Merchandise trade in Africa Western and Central was 43.1% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 55.4% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 1998.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. 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.