Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise imports was 158.13 billion constant US$ in 2009. β–² Rising

Latest (2009)
158.13 billion constant US$
Change on year
up 6.2%
Rank
2nd
of 2 regions
All-time high
158.13 billion constant US$
in 2009
All-time low
51.92 billion constant US$
in 1985
Years of data
26
1984–2009

Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1984–2009

50.0B75.0B100.0B125.0B150.0B1984199620091984: 57.6B constant US$1985: 51.9B constant US$1986: 54.2B constant US$1987: 52.6B constant US$1988: 54.1B constant US$1989: 54.5B constant US$1990: 63.2B constant US$1991: 64.7B constant US$1992: 67.5B constant US$1993: 74.5B constant US$1994: 69.1B constant US$1995: 73.5B constant US$1996: 70.2B constant US$1997: 77.1B constant US$1998: 75.8B constant US$1999: 76.9B constant US$2000: 77.7B constant US$2001: 79.4B constant US$2002: 85.7B constant US$2003: 100.7B constant US$2004: 100.6B constant US$2005: 111.7B constant US$2006: 119.8B constant US$2007: 135.2B constant US$2008: 148.9B constant US$2009: 158.1B constant US$

Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in constant US$.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 158.13 billion constant US$ for merchandise imports in 2009. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 105.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 158.13 billion constant US$ in 2009 and was at its lowest, 51.92 billion constant US$, in 1985.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 54.14 billion constant US$ 51.92 billion constant US$ 57.57 billion constant US$ 6
1990s 71.25 billion constant US$ 63.22 billion constant US$ 77.12 billion constant US$ 10
2000s 111.78 billion constant US$ 77.71 billion constant US$ 158.13 billion constant US$ 10

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 1 Egypt 32.84 billion constant US$ compare
  2. 2 Nigeria 29.11 billion constant US$ compare
  3. 3 South Africa 26.58 billion constant US$ compare
  4. 4 Morocco 25.24 billion constant US$ compare
  5. 5 Algeria 13.47 billion constant US$ compare

See the full ranking of 51 places β†’

More trade data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa was 158.13 billion constant US$ in 2009, according to World Bank country economists.
What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 158.13 billion constant US$ in 2009.
What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 51.92 billion constant US$ in 1985.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise imports?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 2 regions with data for 2009.
Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 105.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Merchandise imports (constant US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Merchandise imports in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank country economists. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://trade.statizoid.com/stat/merchandise-imports-constant-us/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Merchandise imports (constant US$)
Unit
constant US$
Source
World Bank country economists
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
51 places, 1,355 data points, 1965–2011
Last refreshed

Total merchandise imports, cif (includes freight and insurance costs) in 1987 constant US dollars.