Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Primary income payments (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 12.2% on 2022 (from US$43.2 billion to US$48.46 billion).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2022), the average change was +3.7% and a typical year strayed about 10.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 22.9% in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.1% in 2020. 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 US$1.8 billion a year. A straight line explains 59% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

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

All 31 values

Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$51.17 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$5.02 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — US$9.45 billion (2025)
• Djibouti — US$158.38 million (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$19.45 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$3.52 billion (2025)
• Israel — US$34.13 billion (2025)
• Jordan — US$3.34 billion (2024)
• Kuwait — US$6.76 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — US$937.14 million (2023)

More economic policy & debt data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$291.25 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$339.13 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 13.77% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$1.44 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 68.06% (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$1.73 trillion (2025)

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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s primary income payments (BoP, current US$)?

US$48.46 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 778.82% from US$5.51 billion in 1979 (5.06% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$48.46 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$5.51 billion in 1979.

Is the latest change in primary income payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?

In 2023, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 12.2% on 2022 (from US$43.2 billion to US$48.46 billion). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2022), the average change was +3.7% and a typical year strayed about 10.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 BM.GSR.FCTY.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.