Countries by Import volume index (2015 = 100)
Djibouti ranks first in the 2023 import volume index with a value of 340.1, more than ten times the score of last-placed Venezuela (33.2). Guyana follows at 335.4, while much of Western Europe clusters near or below the 2015 baseline of 100. The 924.4% spread between the top and bottom of the ranking reflects sharply divergent import trajectories since 2015.
Ranking 2023
Analysis
The import volume index measures how the physical quantity of a country's merchandise imports has changed relative to a 2015 baseline of 100. A score above 100 indicates greater import volumes than in 2015; a score below 100 indicates contraction. Import volume indexes are derived from UNCTAD's volume index series and are the ratio of the import value indexes to the corresponding unit value indexes. Unit value indexes 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 level. The indicator code is TM.QTY.MRCH.XD.WD from the World Bank World Development Indicators. This ranking covers 204 countries using 2023 data, with 201 of 204 countries (98.5%) reporting values for the latest year and 100% of datapoints classified as official quality. The dataset identifies 21 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold.
The top of the ranking is dominated by smaller economies and fast-growing markets. Djibouti leads at 340.1 (Rank 1), followed by Guyana at 335.4 (Rank 2) and Armenia at 271.4 (Rank 3). Central Asian countries are prominent: Uzbekistan sits at Rank 4 with 245.0 and the Kyrgyz Republic at Rank 5 with 236.2. In Southeast Asia, Viet Nam ranks 8th at 181.1. Among larger economies, the Philippines (Rank 30, 148.1), Malaysia (Rank 32, 146.8), and China (Rank 56, 129.5) all show meaningful import growth since 2015. Higher scores indicate that import volumes in 2023 substantially exceeded the 2015 baseline.
Many advanced economies cluster just above or below the 100 baseline, reflecting more stable or mature import patterns. Germany ranks 137th at 100.8, the United Kingdom ranks 130th at 101.9, and Japan ranks 128th at 102.8. France ranks 162nd at 89.4, Austria 156th at 93.6, and Luxembourg 180th at 72.7, all below their 2015 import volumes. At the bottom of the ranking, Venezuela places last at 33.2 (Rank 204), followed by Eritrea at 37.6 (Rank 202) and the Republic of Congo at 37.1 (Rank 203). Chad ranks 200th at 50.1 and Turkmenistan 201st at 46.7. These low scores indicate that 2023 import volumes were a fraction of 2015 levels.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The index measures quantity, not value, so it does not capture changes in import prices or the composition of goods. Coverage depends on country reporting quality; UNCTAD supplements gaps with estimates based on prior-year trade values, which can introduce approximation error. Sudan's value (Rank 175, 79.6367) and Curacao's value (Rank 195, 64.0260) appear at higher decimal precision than other entries, suggesting modeled or interpolated figures rather than direct reports. The metric excludes services trade entirely, covering only merchandise imports. Countries with significant informal trade or weak statistical systems may have less reliable index values. The presence of 21 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold also suggests that some values may reflect structural breaks, data revisions, or base-year anomalies rather than smooth trade volume trends.
Methodology
Metric: Import volume index (2015 = 100), indicator code TM.QTY.MRCH.XD.WD. Data source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Data year: 2023. Country count: 204. Coverage: 203 of 204 countries have data from the last 7 years (99.5% recency); 201 of 204 countries (98.5%) report values for the latest year (2023); 100% of datapoints are classified as official quality. The index is defined as follows (source note verbatim): 'Import volume indexes are derived from UNCTAD's volume index series and are the ratio of the import value indexes to the corresponding unit value indexes. Unit value indexes 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.' The unit is an absolute index value with 2015 equal to 100; higher values indicate greater import volumes relative to 2015. The ranking spans values from 33.2 (Venezuela) to 340.1 (Djibouti), a spread of 924.4%. Average year-over-year change across the dataset is 10.9%. The viability check identified 21 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold. The metric covers merchandise imports only and excludes services trade.