Bhutan: Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Bhutan's merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) rose 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.13% to 0.13%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2022), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.12 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 0.12 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.34 percentage points in 2006. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.05 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about -0.03% for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.04%, against 0.15% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Bhutan had the 175th highest value of the 191 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 Bhutan in the 2023 ranking

• Mongolia — 171st of 191: 0.19%
• Luxembourg — 172nd of 191: 0.16%
• Botswana — 173rd of 191: 0.15%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 175th of 191: 0.12%
• Turkmenistan — 176th of 191: 0.1%
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 177th of 191: 0.1%

What this measures

Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.

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

All 19 values

Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 9.88% (2023)
• India — 21.43% (2023)
• Maldives — 28.92% (2023)
• Nepal — 4.25% (2023)
• Sri Lanka — 15.21% (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Bhutan

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 83.28% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.18 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$800 million (2025)
• International tourism, number of arrivals — 29,800 (2020)
• International tourism, receipts (current US$) — US$84 million (2020)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 132.5 (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 150.3 (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 4.9% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)?

0.13% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is down 1.05 percentage points from 1.19% in 2005. The highest value was 1.19% in 2005 and the lowest 0.13% in 2022.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.MRCH.AL.ZS, 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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