Countries by Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%)
Solomon Islands ranks first among 186 countries with a weighted mean applied tariff on primary products of 48.84%, more than 120 times higher than the five countries at the bottom with rates of 0.00%. The gap between the top and bottom of this ranking reflects the full range of trade policy approaches applied to primary commodities across the global economy. Switzerland, ranked 48th at 9.44%, is a notable outlier among high-income countries near the upper portion of the ranking.
Ranking 2022
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the weighted mean applied tariff rate on primary products, expressed as a percentage. According to the source: '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 unit is percent, and a higher value indicates a higher tariff burden on primary product imports. The dataset covers 186 countries using World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator TM.TAX.TCOM.WM.AR.ZS), with 96.8% of countries having data from the last seven years and 100% of datapoints classified as official quality. The reference year is 2022, though 76.9% of countries have data specifically from that year. Eleven extreme outliers were identified using a 3-sigma threshold.
Solomon Islands leads the ranking at 48.84%, followed by Bermuda at 45.12% and Belize at 38.57%. These three countries are well separated from the next tier: Rwanda ranks 4th at 24.06% and Chad ranks 5th at 23.79%. Several Sub-Saharan African nations appear in the top 20, including Tanzania (rank 8, 22.36%), Kenya (rank 19, 17.73%), and Cameroon (rank 12, 19.92%). Pacific island nations also feature prominently, with Palau at rank 9 (20.27%), Fiji at rank 20 (17.59%), and Vanuatu at rank 21 (17.47%). The Cayman Islands ranks 6th at 23.29%, the only Caribbean territory in the top six.
The middle of the ranking shows considerable diversity. Switzerland ranks 48th at 9.44%, placing it well above most other high-income nations. Norway ranks 60th at 8.33% and Iceland ranks 78th at 6.03%, both above the large bloc of EU member states. All 26 EU countries in the dataset share an identical rate of 0.84%, occupying ranks 150 through 175 as a uniform bloc, which reflects the EU common external tariff applied uniformly across member states. At the lower end, Peru ranks 181st at 0.11%, and five countries, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, Singapore, and Sudan, all rank 182nd with a rate of 0.00%. The data range spans from 0.00% to 48.84%, a spread of 999.0%.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The average year-over-year change of 41.9% indicates notable volatility in reported values, which can reflect actual policy shifts, changes in import composition used for weighting, or data revisions rather than stable tariff structures. Because rates are import-share weighted, a country with highly concentrated primary product imports from a single partner may show a rate that does not represent its full tariff schedule. The metric covers primary products as defined by SITC revision 3 and does not capture tariffs on manufactured goods or services. Countries with zero-tariff regimes, such as Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, appear at the bottom, but a zero rate does not necessarily indicate low overall trade barriers when non-tariff measures are considered. Data year consistency varies: only 76.9% of the 186 countries have 2022 data, meaning some values reflect earlier years.
Methodology
Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code TM.TAX.TCOM.WM.AR.ZS, with a reference year of 2022. The source defines the metric 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 ranking covers 186 countries, exceeding the 80-country coverage threshold. Of these, 96.8% (180 of 186) have data from the last seven years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official quality. Data from 2022 specifically are available for 76.9% of countries (143 of 186). Eleven extreme outliers were identified using a 3-sigma threshold. The average year-over-year change across the dataset is 41.9%, below the 50% volatility threshold. The value range spans 0.00% to 48.84%, a spread of 999.0%, indicating very high variance across countries.