Countries by Tariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, all products (%)
The Bahamas holds the highest most favored nation tariff rate among 187 ranked countries at 31.54%, more than 450 times the rate recorded by Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, both of which register 0.00%. The 31.54-percentage-point spread across the full ranking reflects the wide variation in trade policy approaches captured by this metric.
Ranking 2022
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the simple mean most favored nation (MFN) tariff rate applied to all traded goods. According to the World Bank source note, 'Simple mean most favored nation tariff rate is the unweighted average of most favored nation rates for all products subject to tariffs calculated for all traded goods. 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.' The unit is percentage (%). Higher values indicate higher average tariff barriers. The dataset covers 187 countries, with 181 of 187 (96.8%) having data from the last seven years and 143 of 187 (76.5%) reporting data specifically from 2022. All 187 data points are sourced from official data, and 13 extreme outliers were identified using a three-standard-deviation threshold.
The top of the ranking is led by The Bahamas at rank 1 with 31.54%, followed by Bermuda at rank 2 with 23.35% and Sudan at rank 3 with 21.82%. The Cayman Islands (rank 4, 20.89%) and Djibouti (rank 5, 20.86%) round out the top five. A notable cluster appears at rank 9, where six countries sharing the CEMAC regional grouping — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Rep., Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon — all record identical rates of 18.03%, reflecting a common external tariff structure. Similarly, 13 West African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana all share a rate of 12.12% at ranks 39 through 51, pointing to another shared regional tariff schedule.
In the middle of the ranking, South Korea (rank 30, 13.64%) and Brazil (rank 32, 13.50%) stand notably higher than other large economies. Switzerland ranks 90th at 8.17%, placing it above all 26 listed European Union member states, which uniformly share a rate of 5.24% at ranks 131 through 156. The United States ranks 175th at 3.53% and Canada ranks 176th at 3.04%, both near the bottom of the distribution. At the very bottom, Singapore ranks 185th at 0.07%, just above Hong Kong SAR (rank 186, 0.00%) and Macao SAR (rank 186, 0.00%). Peru ranks 179th at 2.46% and Australia ranks 180th at 2.43%.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The simple mean is unweighted, meaning a tariff line covering a minor product is treated equally to one covering a major traded commodity. This can distort comparisons between countries with very different trade structures. The metric covers only MFN rates and does not reflect preferential rates negotiated under bilateral or regional agreements, which may substantially lower actual applied rates for many trading partners. Data years vary across countries, with 44 of 187 observations not from 2022, which can affect cross-country comparability. Territories like Bermuda (rank 2) and the Cayman Islands (rank 4) are included alongside sovereign states, which may reflect different administrative contexts for tariff-setting.
Methodology
Metric: Tariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, all products (%). Indicator code: TM.TAX.MRCH.SM.FN.ZS. Data source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Data year: 2022. The definition follows the source note verbatim: 'Simple mean most favored nation tariff rate is the unweighted average of most favored nation rates for all products subject to tariffs calculated for all traded goods. 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.' Country count: 187. Coverage: 181 of 187 countries (96.8%) have data from the last seven years; 143 of 187 (76.5%) report from 2022 specifically. Data quality: 100% of data points are classified as official. Outliers: 13 extreme outliers were identified at the three-standard-deviation threshold. Value range: 0.00% to 31.54%, a spread of 999.0%. Average year-over-year change: 6.2%. Rankings should be interpreted with awareness that data years vary by country and that MFN rates do not capture preferential or applied rates under trade agreements.