Namibia: Merchandise trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Namibia's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 10.64 percentage points on 2024 (from 113.08% to 102.44%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.3 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 22.2 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 28.08 percentage points in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 7% 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 2025, Namibia had the 24th highest value of the 188 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 2025 ranking

• Guyana — 20th of 188: 106.69%
• Lesotho — 21st of 188: 102.89%
• Libya — 22nd of 188: 102.7%
• Switzerland — 24th of 188: 101.73%
• Latvia — 25th of 188: 99.56%
• Estonia — 26th of 188: 98.4%

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 46 values

Merchandise trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 38.84% (2025)
• Benin — 36.39% (2025)
• Botswana — 57.78% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 67.5% (2025)
• Burundi — 45.17% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 69.98% (2025)
• Cameroon — 24.6% (2025)
• Central African Republic — 27% (2025)
• Chad — 28.87% (2025)
• Comoros — 23.09% (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 66.13% (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Namibia

• 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)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 4.68% (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 trade (% of GDP)?

102.44% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is down 5.52 percentage points from 107.97% in 1980. The highest value was 115.31% in 2018 and the lowest 63.9% in 2004.

How does Namibia rank?

24th highest of 188 economies with data for 2025.

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

In 2025, Namibia's merchandise trade (% of GDP) fell 10.64 percentage points on 2024 (from 113.08% to 102.44%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.3 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 9.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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