Namibia: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Namibia's merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) fell 7.14 percentage points on 2022 (from 50.21% to 43.07%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −1.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 10.63 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.9 percentage points in 2022. 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 2.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 49% 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, Namibia had the 24th highest value of the 201 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 Namibia in the 2023 ranking

• Turkmenistan — 20th of 201: 45.24%
• Guinea-Bissau — 21st of 201: 44.49%
• Mongolia — 22nd of 201: 43.68%
• Congo, Rep. — 24th of 201: 41.73%
• Indonesia — 25th of 201: 41.11%
• Australia — 26th of 201: 39.96%

What this measures

Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in the same World Bank region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are 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. No figures are shown for high-income economies, because they are a separate category in the World Bank classification of economies.

Limitations: Data on exports and imports are from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Direction of Trade database and should be broadly consistent with data from other sources, such as the United Nations Statistics Division's Commodity Trade (Comtrade) database. All high-income economies and major low- and middle-income economies report trade data to the IMF on a timely basis, covering about 85 percent of trade for recent years. Trade data for less timely reporters and for countries that do not report are estimated using reports of trading partner countries. Therefore, data on trade between developing and high-income economies should be generally complete.

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

All 24 values

Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) in nearby economies

• Angola — 9.11% (2023)
• Benin — 15.17% (2023)
• Botswana — 84.08% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 27.66% (2023)
• Burundi — 33.55% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 0.69% (2023)
• Cameroon — 7.33% (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Namibia

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 102.45% (2025)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 138 (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$8.43 billion (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 152.1 (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$7.02 billion (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 1.88% (2024)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 80.23% (2024)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$2.44 billion (2024)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 13.22% (2024)

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 Namibia's merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports)?

43.07% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 44.27 percentage points from 87.34% in 2000. The highest value was 87.51% in 2001 and the lowest 43.07% in 2023.

How does Namibia rank?

24th highest of 201 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) unusual for Namibia?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.MRCH.WR.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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