Curaçao: Merchandise trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Curaçao's merchandise trade (% of GDP) rose 0.76 percentage points on 2023 (from 70.79% to 71.55%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was −2.8 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 12.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 17.4 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.21 percentage points in 2013. 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 20% 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, Curaçao had the 4th 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 Curaçao in the 2024 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 1st of 10: 208.15%
• Faroe Islands — 2nd of 10: 80.78%
• New Caledonia — 4th of 10: 41.09%
• Aruba — 5th of 10: 39.66%
• French Polynesia — 6th of 10: 38.74%

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 14 values

Merchandise trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 41.49% (2025)
• Argentina — 23.85% (2025)
• Aruba — 39.66% (2024)
• 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)

More private sector & trade data for Curaçao

• International tourism, receipts (current US$) — US$282 million (2020)
• International tourism, number of arrivals — 1.29 million (2019)
• International tourism, expenditures (current US$) — US$127 million (2020)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 124.5 (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.33 billion (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 171.8 (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$397 million (2025)
• International tourism, receipts for passenger transport items (current US$) — US$1 million (2020)
• International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)

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 Curaçao's merchandise trade (% of GDP)?

71.55% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is down 32.82 percentage points from 104.37% in 2011. The highest value was 106.28% in 2012 and the lowest 58.4% in 2020.

How does Curaçao rank?

4th highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Curaçao's merchandise trade (% of GDP) rose 0.76 percentage points on 2023 (from 70.79% to 71.55%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was −2.8 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 12.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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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