IDA total - Merchandise imports (current US$)

The value for Merchandise imports (current US$) in IDA total was 455,596,000,000 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 503,851,000,000 in 2019 and a minimum value of 6,315,639,000 in 1961.

Definition: Merchandise imports show the c.i.f. value of goods received from the rest of the world valued in current U.S. dollars.

Source: World Trade Organization.

See also:

Year Value
1960 6,412,079,000
1961 6,315,639,000
1962 6,487,853,000
1963 7,009,085,000
1964 7,804,711,000
1965 8,273,132,000
1966 8,329,388,000
1967 8,592,300,000
1968 8,221,467,000
1969 9,127,309,000
1970 10,548,640,000
1971 11,935,540,000
1972 12,958,480,000
1973 15,913,930,000
1974 23,215,930,000
1975 29,242,650,000
1976 31,663,300,000
1977 39,353,950,000
1978 46,775,040,000
1979 48,558,050,000
1980 67,398,190,000
1981 72,494,880,000
1982 62,672,490,000
1983 56,593,670,000
1984 52,518,040,000
1985 51,860,400,000
1986 46,743,150,000
1987 48,783,130,000
1988 52,131,890,000
1989 53,912,830,000
1990 57,806,080,000
1991 62,378,240,000
1992 66,737,760,000
1993 67,536,450,000
1994 68,813,330,000
1995 81,525,190,000
1996 87,867,890,000
1997 90,108,290,000
1998 88,033,740,000
1999 89,417,450,000
2000 90,925,290,000
2001 98,222,350,000
2002 96,979,040,000
2003 115,057,000,000
2004 145,141,000,000
2005 182,660,000,000
2006 214,015,000,000
2007 262,932,000,000
2008 335,203,000,000
2009 285,351,000,000
2010 336,308,000,000
2011 415,801,000,000
2012 431,229,000,000
2013 453,438,000,000
2014 473,750,000,000
2015 429,636,000,000
2016 406,781,000,000
2017 439,187,000,000
2018 495,269,000,000
2019 503,851,000,000
2020 455,596,000,000

Limitations and Exceptions: The value of imports is generally recorded as the cost of the goods when purchased by the importer plus the cost of transport and insurance to the frontier of the importing country - the cost, insurance, and freight (c.i.f.) value, corresponding to the landed cost at the point of entry of foreign goods into the country. A few countries collect import data on a free on board (f.o.b.) basis and adjust them for freight and insurance costs. Countries may report trade according to the general or special system of trade. Under the general system imports include goods imported for domestic consumption and imports into bonded warehouses and free trade zones. Under the special system imports comprise goods imported for domestic consumption (including transformation and repair) and withdrawals for domestic consumption from bonded warehouses and free trade zones. Goods transported through a country en route to another are excluded. Data on imports of goods are derived from the same sources as data on exports. In principle, world exports and imports should be identical. Similarly, exports from an economy should equal the sum of imports by the rest of the world from that economy. But differences in timing and definitions result in discrepancies in reported values at all levels.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Merchandise trade data are from customs reports of goods moving into or out of an economy or from reports of financial transactions related to merchandise trade recorded in the balance of payments. Because of differences in timing and definitions, trade flow estimates from customs reports and balance of payments may differ. Several international agencies process trade data, each correcting unreported or misreported data, leading to other differences. The data on total imports of goods (merchandise) are from the World Trade Organization (WTO), which obtains data from national statistical offices and the IMF's International Financial Statistics, supplemented by the Comtrade database and publications or databases of regional organizations, specialized agencies, economic groups, and private sources (such as Eurostat, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and country reports of the Economist Intelligence Unit). Country websites and email contact have improved collection of up-to-date statistics, reducing the proportion of estimates. The WTO database now covers most major traders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which together with high-income countries account for nearly 95 percent of world trade. Reliability of data for countries in Europe and Central Asia has also improved.

Aggregation method: Gap-filled total

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Private Sector & Trade Indicators

Sub-Topic: Imports