Merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Merchandise trade was 44.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
44.2%
Change on year
up 1.7%
All-time high
50.1%
in 2022
All-time low
18.0%
in 1971
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025

0204060196019922025

Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 44.2%, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 50.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 1971.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 19.6% 18.2% 22.7% 10
1970s 20.9% 18.0% 24.3% 10
1980s 24.3% 22.1% 26.8% 10
1990s 25.8% 23.2% 31.1% 10
2000s 37.3% 32.9% 40.4% 10
2010s 37.3% 33.8% 40.9% 10
2020s 45.1% 42.2% 50.1% 6

More private sector data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Merchandise trade in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 44.2% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 50.1% in 2022.
What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 1971.
Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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

Indicator
Merchandise trade (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 14,091 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.