Countries by Import unit value index (2015 = 100)
Ukraine ranks first with an import unit value index of 239.8 against a 2015 baseline of 100, meaning import prices have risen nearly 140 percent in real index terms since that reference year. At the opposite end, Pakistan sits last at 65.0, the only country in the dataset whose index falls below the 2015 baseline. That 174.8-point gap between first and last place reflects the wide variation in how import price levels have shifted across economies since 2015.
Ranking 2024
Analysis
The import unit value index measures how the average price of imported goods has changed relative to a 2015 baseline of 100. A value above 100 indicates import prices are higher than in 2015; a value below 100 indicates they are lower. The index covers merchandise imports and is expressed as an absolute index value. According to the source definition, import unit value indices come from UNCTAD's trade database. Unit value indices are based on data reported by countries that demonstrate consistency under UNCTAD quality controls, supplemented by UNCTAD's estimates using the previous year's trade values at the Standard International Trade Classification three-digit level as weights. To improve data coverage, especially for the latest periods, UNCT. This ranking covers 207 countries for the data year 2024. Of those, 202 out of 207 (97.6 percent) have data for the latest year, and 206 out of 207 (99.5 percent) have data from within the last seven years. All datapoints are classified as official quality. The dataset contains 17 extreme outliers identified at the three-sigma threshold, and the index values range from 65.0 to 239.8, a spread of 268.9 percent.
Ukraine leads all 207 countries with an index of 239.8, substantially ahead of second-ranked Tuvalu at 186.5. The top ten is dominated by European nations: Cyprus ranks 3rd at 167.4, Spain 4th at 164.9, the Slovak Republic 5th at 164.8, Bulgaria 8th at 161.0, France 9th at 160.6, Luxembourg 11th at 157.4, Austria 12th at 157.2, and Romania 15th at 156.5. Czechia (156.1, rank 16), Ireland (155.5, rank 17), Italy (155.4, rank 18), Slovenia (154.4, rank 19), and Poland (153.1, rank 20) round out a cohesive European cluster in the upper tier. Non-European entries in the top 20 include West Bank and Gaza at rank 10 with a value of 158.5 and Dominica at rank 6 with 163.2, both of which sit within this otherwise European-heavy group.
The middle of the ranking, broadly between index values of 125 and 135, contains a geographically diverse mix of countries. Morocco ranks 21st at 152.7, while Morocco is followed by countries like Tunisia (rank 26, 146.7), Tajikistan (rank 32, 144.3), and Afghanistan (rank 35, 143.6). Further down, large economies such as India appear at rank 72 with a value of 131.1, and Mexico sits at rank 126 with 125.0. Notably, the United Kingdom ranks 157th at 121.7, placing it below smaller economies such as Mauritania (rank 107, 127.0) and Bangladesh (rank 109, 126.8). The United States ranks 182nd at 113.8, lower than most of the world. Japan at rank 184 with 112.2 and South Korea at rank 181 with 115.5 also appear in the lower portion. Saudi Arabia ranks 206th at 83.7, and Pakistan ranks last at 65.0, the only country below the 2015 baseline value of 100.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The index measures price change relative to 2015 and does not capture absolute import price levels or import volumes. Countries with very different trade compositions are compared on the same index scale, which can obscure structural differences in what is being imported. The source note acknowledges that estimates are used to supplement reported data, particularly for recent periods, meaning values for some countries may reflect modeled rather than directly reported figures. Ukraine's value of 239.8 is flagged among the 17 extreme outliers at the three-sigma threshold, indicating it is statistically distant from the global distribution and should be interpreted with particular caution. Additionally, five countries have data gaps relative to the latest year, and one country's most recent data falls outside the seven-year window, meaning some entries may not reflect current conditions.
Methodology
Metric: Import unit value index (2015 = 100), indicator code TM.UVI.MRCH.XD.WD, sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators for data year 2024. The unit is an absolute index value with 2015 equal to 100; higher values indicate greater import price levels relative to that baseline. Per the source definition: import unit value indices come from UNCTAD's trade database. Unit value indices are based on data reported by countries that demonstrate consistency under UNCTAD quality controls, supplemented by UNCTAD's estimates using the previous year's trade values at the Standard International Trade Classification three-digit level as weights. To improve data coverage, especially for the latest periods, UNCT. The ranking covers 207 countries. Coverage viability: 206 of 207 countries (99.5 percent) have data from within the last seven years; 202 of 207 (97.6 percent) have data for the latest year (2024); 100 percent of datapoints are classified as official quality. The index ranges from 65.0 (Pakistan) to 239.8 (Ukraine), a spread of 268.9 percent. Average year-over-year change across the dataset is 6.5 percent. Seventeen countries are identified as extreme outliers at the three-sigma threshold. Microstates represent 0 percent of the sample. Values for some countries may incorporate UNCTAD estimates rather than directly reported data, particularly for recent periods.