World Bank Group · Trade (% of GDP)
Trade openness by country
How large are exports and imports compared with the economy?
Of the 138 countries compared in 2025, Hong Kong had the highest reading, 396.65%, and Sudan had the lowest reading, 2.38%. In the middle country the figure was 79.68%. Among the 77 countries measured in every edition since 1970, the middle one moved from 40.75% to 62.52%.
Share
Trade openness · 2025
Context statistic
Highest of 138Hong Kong
396.65%012025 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 138 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
02Every measured country
Trade openness on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 2.38–46.27%
- 46.53–67.19%
- 69.45–92.67%
- 93.07–129.72%
- 130.71–396.65%
- No reading in 2025 (55 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
105.05%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Luxembourg349.89%
Russia33.71%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
93.07%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 21 members
Nauru165.44%
Australia45.90%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
77.30%
the middle country, of 30 measured · 52 members
Hong Kong396.65%
Pakistan27.19%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
59.36%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 48 members
Nicaragua96.45%
Haiti15.89%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
58.79%
the middle country, of 44 measured · 55 members
Djibouti206.30%
Sudan2.38%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
147.16%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg349.89%
France67.19%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
136.24%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Singapore320.31%
Indonesia43.39%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Asia
130.71%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Hong Kong396.65%
China37.96%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Northern Europe
116.78%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Ireland239.96%
United Kingdom62.46%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
100.99%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Malta219.01%
Italy62.52%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
99.77%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Slovakia170.34%Russia33.71%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Central America
84.04%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Nicaragua96.45%
Guatemala46.53%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Asia
77.30%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 19 members
Cyprus189.50%
Türkiye49.93%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
72.22%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Libya137.66%Sudan2.38%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Africa
58.36%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 16 members
Guinea103.68%
Niger33.91%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
54.24%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 19 members
Djibouti206.30%
Ethiopia33.46%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
52.91%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Republic of the Congo91.67%
Cameroon33.38%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- South America
49.72%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 12 members
Paraguay76.48%
Venezuela25.01%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Asia
42.18%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Iran60.24%Pakistan27.19%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
1 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia.
Australia45.90%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Caribbean
3 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico90.46%Haiti15.89%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Central Asia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan92.41%
Turkmenistan28.17%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Micronesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru.
Nauru165.44%
Micronesia93.07%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
1 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada.
Canada63.51%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa.
Samoa70.63%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Southern Africa
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa.
Lesotho153.98%
South Africa60.91%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
138 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 79.68%; a quarter are above 112.72%, and a quarter below 50.48%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 193 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Neither end is better. Small economies sit at the top because they MUST trade, not because they trade well, so the ordering is a reading convention rather than a league table, and the indicator carries no good-or-bad colouring on the site.
Showing 25 of 193 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051970–2025 · 56 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1970. Values above 100% are normal and not an error: a re-export hub such as Singapore or Luxembourg moves several times its own output across its borders, because the same goods are counted going in and going out.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 77 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 138 | 79.68% | 50.48% – 112.72% | 62.52% |
| 2024 | 172 | 79.95% | 51.41% – 112.24% | 62.84% |
| 2023 | 176 | 82.31% | 53.29% – 115.57% | 65.68% |
| 2022 | 183 | 88.70% | 58.79% – 123.30% | 70.47% |
| 2021 | 183 | 77.46% | 54.00% – 108.54% | 62.25% |
| 2020 | 184 | 70.12% | 47.22% – 99.42% | 58.84% |
| 2019 | 183 | 78.42% | 55.23% – 108.57% | 62.60% |
| 2018 | 185 | 79.14% | 55.91% – 108.76% | 62.83% |
| 2017 | 185 | 76.79% | 54.21% – 105.75% | 59.53% |
| 2016 | 184 | 74.69% | 53.33% – 106.94% | 57.95% |
| 2015 | 185 | 74.63% | 54.87% – 107.81% | 59.09% |
| 2014 | 183 | 79.82% | 57.20% – 110.73% | 61.97% |
| 2013 | 181 | 80.92% | 56.81% – 110.98% | 61.82% |
| 2012 | 179 | 82.08% | 58.19% – 112.50% | 61.98% |
| 2011 | 178 | 83.89% | 57.78% – 111.52% | 62.22% |
| 2010 | 178 | 79.82% | 56.91% – 104.07% | 60.21% |
| 2009 | 178 | 74.86% | 54.61% – 102.71% | 58.04% |
| 2008 | 178 | 82.47% | 62.03% – 114.45% | 67.02% |
| 2007 | 175 | 81.01% | 58.82% – 113.62% | 66.28% |
| 2006 | 174 | 81.98% | 57.86% – 110.74% | 63.77% |
| 2005 | 174 | 78.00% | 58.94% – 113.29% | 62.94% |
| 2004 | 171 | 76.60% | 57.02% – 105.55% | 59.76% |
| 2003 | 171 | 73.22% | 52.93% – 102.45% | 54.13% |
| 2002 | 170 | 72.47% | 53.22% – 99.90% | 56.59% |
| 2001 | 164 | 70.59% | 51.15% – 98.88% | 56.89% |
| 2000 | 164 | 71.84% | 49.06% – 102.17% | 58.71% |
| 1999 | 162 | 69.28% | 48.05% – 96.14% | 51.67% |
| 1998 | 162 | 71.59% | 45.48% – 94.95% | 51.42% |
| 1997 | 162 | 71.44% | 47.25% – 94.96% | 54.06% |
| 1996 | 161 | 68.10% | 45.70% – 92.81% | 51.61% |
| 1995 | 161 | 67.89% | 45.37% – 91.96% | 53.96% |
| 1994 | 152 | 63.12% | 43.99% – 89.80% | 51.88% |
| 1993 | 148 | 59.64% | 42.70% – 88.71% | 49.75% |
| 1992 | 145 | 59.23% | 41.70% – 91.76% | 50.24% |
| 1991 | 143 | 56.48% | 39.33% – 82.89% | 49.22% |
| 1990 | 141 | 58.62% | 41.63% – 85.53% | 49.19% |
| 1989 | 127 | 58.12% | 40.82% – 87.84% | 48.68% |
| 1988 | 123 | 56.93% | 38.69% – 85.47% | 47.36% |
| 1987 | 123 | 51.88% | 37.65% – 86.14% | 47.70% |
| 1986 | 122 | 52.00% | 36.04% – 89.42% | 48.77% |
| 1985 | 120 | 58.16% | 39.41% – 93.95% | 52.63% |
| 1984 | 120 | 60.80% | 40.81% – 92.05% | 51.74% |
| 1983 | 121 | 57.99% | 39.93% – 92.40% | 49.39% |
| 1982 | 120 | 58.71% | 39.69% – 93.98% | 49.61% |
| 1981 | 120 | 64.20% | 41.20% – 95.13% | 55.58% |
| 1980 | 118 | 63.76% | 45.56% – 98.70% | 54.48% |
| 1979 | 106 | 57.46% | 43.82% – 94.35% | 53.52% |
| 1978 | 106 | 52.98% | 41.18% – 88.08% | 50.21% |
| 1977 | 106 | 58.88% | 41.04% – 89.32% | 50.96% |
| 1976 | 105 | 54.64% | 37.08% – 83.98% | 50.01% |
| 1975 | 102 | 54.54% | 37.12% – 81.49% | 50.33% |
| 1974 | 99 | 57.83% | 39.04% – 81.34% | 53.59% |
| 1973 | 98 | 47.84% | 32.16% – 74.64% | 45.30% |
| 1972 | 98 | 44.79% | 30.90% – 68.26% | 41.58% |
| 1971 | 97 | 44.43% | 30.73% – 69.55% | 42.65% |
| 1970 | 96 | 43.76% | 30.50% – 71.64% | 40.75% |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after- Hong Kong359.39% → 396.65% · 1st → 1st+37.25
Gambia42.17% → 62.17% · 144th → 90th+20.00
Switzerland130.35% → 147.16% · 35th → 17th+16.81
Vietnam173.89% → 190.34% · 9th → 7th+16.45- Ethiopia17.40% → 33.46% · 171st → 130th+16.06
Fell most
before → after
Armenia150.06% → 101.71% · 20th → 43rd−48.36- Kyrgyzstan130.10% → 92.41% · 37th → 56th−37.69
- Djibouti241.24% → 206.30% · 5th → 6th−34.94
Belarus128.24% → 112.11% · 38th → 36th−16.14
Angola49.85% → 34.65% · 132nd → 127th−15.20
138 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025. The field changed from 172 to 138 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Trade openness in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
863.20%
Exports plus imports (% of GDP)
Lowest reading on record
0.02%
Exports plus imports (% of GDP)
Biggest rise between editions
+302.83
560.37% → 863.20%
Biggest fall between editions
−522.05
679.23% → 157.18%
Biggest change since first measured
+217.97
178.67% → 396.65%
Highest most often
34 of 56
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About trade openness
Trade as a share of GDP adds a country’s exports and imports of goods and services together and sets them against the size of its economy. It is the standard measure of how OPEN an economy is to the rest of the world.
What the number is: Exports plus imports (% of GDP).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Mobility & Trade, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationMobility & TradeWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where trade openness is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 138 countries in commonρ 0.96
- Exports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 138 countries in commonρ 0.94
- Services ExportsUNCTAD · 126 countries in commonρ 0.66
Moves against
Where trade openness is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Burned AreaGWIS · 137 countries in commonρ −0.58
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 128 countries in commonρ −0.58
- Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All ProductsWorld Bank Group · 107 countries in commonρ −0.57
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 348 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
More from World Bank Group
11Questions
Trade openness: questions and answers
Which country has the highest trade openness?
Hong Kong, at 396.65%, among the 138 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest trade openness?
Sudan, at 2.38%, among the 138 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Trade (% of GDP) cover?
138 in 2025, and 193 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 96 to 185 between editions.
What is the world average trade openness?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 138 compared in 2025, the figure was 79.68%.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Trade (% of GDP) published?
This site holds 56 reference years, 1970–2025, all recalculated in World Bank Group’s 2026 report on one method — not 56 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. Pulled from the World Bank’s indicator API (NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS). Venezuela’s 21 country-years recorded as exactly 0 are treated as missing — no country trades nothing. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Trade (% of GDP) — World Bank Group
Pulled from the World Bank’s indicator API (NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS). Venezuela’s 21 country-years recorded as exactly 0 are treated as missing — no country trades nothing.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: World Bank. World Development Indicators. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-06.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Trade openness by country: Trade (% of GDP), data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/trade-to-gdp