Ghana: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Ghana's merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) fell 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.00109% to 0.000617%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 1.89 percentage points in 1970 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.88 percentage points in 1971. 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 upward, about 0.000153 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 42% 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.

How it compares

In 2023, Ghana had the 93rd 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 Ghana in the 2023 ranking

• Hungary — 90th of 205: 0.000654%
• Singapore — 91st of 205: 0.000642%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 92nd of 205: 0.000622%
• Croatia — 94th of 205: 0.000579%
• New Zealand — 95th of 205: 0.000564%
• Maldives — 96th of 205: 0.000543%

What this measures

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy residuals 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, less the sum of imports by the reporting economy from high-, low-, and middle-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. Includes trade with unspecified partners or with economies not covered by World Bank classification. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy.

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

All 64 values

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.0000152% (2023)
• Benin — 0.0000205% (2023)
• Botswana — 0% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 0% (2023)
• Burundi — 0% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 0% (2023)
• Cameroon — 0.0000201% (2023)
• Central African Republic

More private sector & trade data for Ghana

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 42.52% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$17.45 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$31.11 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 10.1% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 56.4% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 36.6% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 22.78% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Latin America & the Caribbean (% 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
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ghana's merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports)?

0.000617% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 0.000617 percentage points from 0% in 1960. The highest value was 2.03% in 1970 and the lowest -0.000000000000371% in 1995.

How does Ghana rank?

93rd highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) unusual for Ghana?

In 2023, Ghana's merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) fell 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.00109% to 0.000617%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 TM.VAL.MRCH.RS.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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