Eritrea: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Eritrea's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 4.1% on 2022 (from US$455.2 million to US$436.69 million).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 20.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 64.5% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.2% in 2014. 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 14% 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, Eritrea had the 193rd 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 Eritrea in the 2023 ranking

• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 189th of 205: US$516.78 million
• Samoa — 190th of 205: US$462.21 million
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 191st of 205: US$456.04 million
• San Marino — 193rd of 205: US$432.26 million
• Vanuatu — 194th of 205: US$424.38 million
• Comoros — 195th of 205: US$354.4 million

What this measures

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 24 values

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

• Angola — US$15.69 billion (2023)
• Benin — US$3.91 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$5.89 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — US$5.88 billion (2023)
• Burundi — US$959.12 million (2023)
• Cabo Verde — US$1.74 billion (2023)
• Cameroon — US$8.62 billion (2023)
• Central African Republic — US$736.21 million (2023)
• Chad — US$1.39 billion (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Eritrea

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 29.36% (2025)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 123.8 (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$524 million (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 127.3 (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$631 million (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 19.06% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 44.74% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 51.46% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Eritrea's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$436.69 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 130.58% from US$189.39 million in 2000 (3.7% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$465.94 million in 2011 and the lowest US$189.39 million in 2000.

How does Eritrea rank?

193rd highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Eritrea's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 4.1% on 2022 (from US$455.2 million to US$436.69 million). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +5.9% and a typical year strayed about 20.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 TM.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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