Aruba: Merchandise trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Aruba's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 2.24 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.9% to 39.66%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −6.62 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 104.21 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 353.07 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 289.33 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 28% 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 2024, Aruba had the 5th highest value of the 10 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 Aruba in the 2024 ranking

• Faroe Islands — 2nd of 10: 80.78%
• Curaçao — 3rd of 10: 71.55%
• New Caledonia — 4th of 10: 41.09%
• French Polynesia — 6th of 10: 38.74%
• Bahamas, The — 7th of 10: 35.58%
• Cayman Islands — 8th of 10: 26.44%

What this measures

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.

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

All 39 values

Merchandise trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 41.49% (2025)
• Argentina — 23.85% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 35.58% (2024)
• Barbados — 33.14% (2025)
• Belize — 56.37% (2025)
• Bolivia — 30.46% (2025)
• Brazil — 28.16% (2025)
• Cayman Islands — 26.44% (2024)
• Chile — 55.87% (2025)
• Colombia — 26.36% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 52.39% (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Aruba

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$1.6 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$216 million (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 6.39% (2023)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 40.13% (2023)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$1.14 billion (2023)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 14.77% (2023)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 38.7% (2023)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) — 1.35% (2023)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Aruba's merchandise trade (% of GDP)?

39.66% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1986?

It is down 19.51 percentage points from 59.17% in 1986. The highest value was 420.68% in 2011 and the lowest 38.6% in 2020.

How does Aruba rank?

5th highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in merchandise trade (% of GDP) unusual for Aruba?

In 2024, Aruba's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 2.24 percentage points on 2023 (from 41.9% to 39.66%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −6.62 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 104.21 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 TG.VAL.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Trade Organization (WTO); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB) 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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