Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Merchandise trade was 49.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) stood at 49.0%.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 54.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 22.8%, in 1986.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.5% | 32.6% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.6% | 31.4% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.2% | 22.8% | 48.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.8% | 28.8% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.1% | 37.1% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.6% | 33.6% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 35.2% | 49.0% | 6 |
More private sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Merchandise exports 468.21 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 37.1% (2017)
- Food exports 10.4% (2017)
- Merchandise imports 582.51 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures imports 57.7% (2019)
- Food imports 18.8% (2019)
- Commercial service exports 149.29 billion current US$ (2024)
- Transport services 45.7% (2024)
- Computer, communications and other services 22.3% (2024)
- Commercial service imports 137.69 billion current US$ (2024)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Merchandise trade in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 49.0% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 54.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.8% in 1986.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 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.