Afghanistan: Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Afghanistan's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) rose 1.4% on 2022 (from US$432.91 million to US$438.77 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +24.5% and a typical year strayed about 87.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 300.4% in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 89.1% in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Afghanistan had the 168th highest value of the 205 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Afghanistan in the 2023 ranking

• Eritrea — 165th of 205: US$480.28 million
• Gibraltar — 166th of 205: US$475.72 million
• Niger — 167th of 205: US$468.69 million
• Guinea-Bissau — 169th of 205: US$426.52 million
• Solomon Islands — 170th of 205: US$399.34 million
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 171st of 205: US$375.04 million

What this measures

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise exports by the reporting economy to the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current US$.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 64 values

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) in nearby economies

• Algeria — US$54.86 billion (2023)
• Bahrain — US$12.27 billion (2023)
• Djibouti — US$4.79 billion (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$38.98 billion (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$14.07 billion (2023)
• Iraq — US$107.39 billion (2023)
• Israel — US$59.13 billion (2023)
• Jordan — US$11.12 billion (2023)
• Kuwait — US$5.92 billion (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Afghanistan

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$3.61 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$926 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 12.88% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise exports) — 69.93% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise exports) — 69.93% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 13.33% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$438.77 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1,161% from US$34.8 million in 1960 (4.1% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$875.18 million in 2018 and the lowest US$28.8 million in 1962.

How does Afghanistan rank?

168th highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2023, Afghanistan's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) rose 1.4% on 2022 (from US$432.91 million to US$438.77 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +24.5% and a typical year strayed about 87.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.MRCH.WL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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