Countries by Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%)
Bermuda ranks 1st with a weighted mean applied tariff rate of 29.52%, more than 29 percentage points above the four countries at the bottom — Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Singapore, and Sudan — each recording 0.00%. That spread of nearly 30 percentage points across 186 countries reflects the wide variation in how heavily different economies tax imported goods at the border.
Ranking 2022
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the weighted mean applied tariff rate across all imported products, expressed as a percentage. The World Bank defines it as follows: 'Weighted mean applied tariff is the average of effectively applied rates weighted by the product import shares corresponding to each partner country. Data are classified using the Harmonized System of trade at the six- or eight-digit level. Tariff line data were matched to Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) revision 3 codes to define commodity groups and import weights.' The indicator code is TM.TAX.MRCH.WM.AR.ZS, drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators for data year 2022. Coverage is strong: 186 countries are included, 96.8% have data from the last seven years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official. Eight extreme outliers were identified using a 3-standard-deviation threshold. The metric captures effectively applied rates, meaning it reflects actual duties paid rather than statutory maximums.
The top of the ranking is led by Bermuda (rank 1, 29.52%), well ahead of Solomon Islands (rank 2, 20.66%) and Cayman Islands (rank 3, 20.39%). Central African economies dominate the upper tier: Congo, Rep. and Equatorial Guinea share rank 4 at 18.18%, followed by Cameroon (rank 6, 18.08%), Chad (rank 9, 16.80%), and Gabon (rank 10, 16.57%). Caribbean economies also feature prominently, with Bahamas (rank 12, 16.34%), Barbados (rank 13, 14.58%), and Antigua and Barbuda (rank 18, 13.07%) all in the top 20. These high-ranking countries share characteristics of either island economies with limited trade agreements or members of customs unions applying common external tariffs.
The middle of the ranking includes economies such as Brazil (rank 65, 7.26%), Pakistan (rank 63, 7.61%), and Egypt (rank 34, 10.43%). A notable cluster appears at rank 143, where all 26 European Union member states record an identical rate of 1.33%, reflecting their shared common external tariff. Below them, countries such as Peru (rank 178, 0.66%), Chile (rank 179, 0.46%), and Georgia (rank 180, 0.42%) sit near the bottom. Sudan records 0.00% and is tied at rank 183 alongside Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Singapore, a counterintuitive grouping given those economies' very different structures. India ranks 88th at 4.59%, while China places 126th at 2.18%, lower than many larger emerging markets.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The weighted mean approach means that tariff rates on goods with low import volumes have little effect on a country's score, potentially understating protection on specific product categories. Data availability varies by country and year: while 76.9% of entries reflect 2022 data, the remainder use earlier years, which may not capture recent policy changes. The range of 0.00% to 29.52% represents a 999% spread, and 8 countries were flagged as extreme outliers at the 3-standard-deviation threshold, which can affect comparative interpretation. The metric covers applied rates only and does not reflect non-tariff barriers, quotas, or other trade restrictions. Reporting for some lower-income countries may rely on older customs data, and mismatches in product classification across Harmonized System versions can introduce inconsistencies.
Methodology
Data source: World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator TM.TAX.MRCH.WM.AR.ZS, data year 2022. The metric is defined verbatim as: 'Weighted mean applied tariff is the average of effectively applied rates weighted by the product import shares corresponding to each partner country. Data are classified using the Harmonized System of trade at the six- or eight-digit level. Tariff line data were matched to Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) revision 3 codes to define commodity groups and import weights.' Unit: percentage. Higher values indicate higher average tariffs. Coverage: 186 countries included, meeting the 80-country threshold. Recency: 180 of 186 countries (96.8%) have data from the last seven years; 143 of 186 (76.9%) have data specifically from 2022. Data quality: 100% of datapoints are classified as official, exceeding the 70% threshold. Statistical spread: values range from 0.00% to 29.52%, a 999% spread. Eight countries were flagged as extreme outliers using a 3-standard-deviation threshold. Average year-over-year change is 22.0%, below the 50% volatility threshold. Zero microstates under 1 million population are present in the dataset.