Countries by Tariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, manufactured products (%)
The Bahamas ranked first among 187 countries with a simple mean MFN tariff rate on manufactured products of 33.23% in 2022, more than 33 percentage points above the four countries at the bottom — Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, and Macao SAR — which all recorded 0.00%. That gap reflects the wide variation in how countries set tariff schedules for manufactured goods under most favored nation rules.
Ranking 2022
Values shown in %.
Analysis
This metric measures the simple mean most favored nation tariff rate applied to manufactured products. According to the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator code TM.TAX.MANF.SM.FN.ZS), the 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 (%). The dataset covers 187 countries for the 2022 reference year, with 96.8% of entries sourced from data within the last seven years and 100% classified as official data. Nine extreme outliers were identified at the 3-sigma threshold.
The Bahamas ranked first at 33.23%, well ahead of second-ranked Djibouti at 21.92% and third-ranked Bermuda at 21.42%. The Cayman Islands followed at rank 4 with 21.26%, and Sudan ranked 5th at 19.85%. Iran ranked 6th at 19.71% and Algeria 7th at 18.31%. Six countries — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Rep., Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon — shared rank 8 at 17.27%, reflecting a common regional tariff schedule. Ethiopia ranked 14th at 17.07% and Zimbabwe 15th at 16.72%. Brazil, at rank 18 with 15.14%, and Argentina, at rank 19 with 14.61%, stand out as the highest-ranking large economies in this group.
The middle of the ranking shows considerable clustering. Twenty-six EU member states all share rank 138 at 4.03%, reflecting their common external tariff. India ranked 50th at 11.57%, China ranked 96th at 6.80%, and the United States ranked 166th at 3.70%. The bottom of the ranking includes Norway at rank 182 with 0.71%, Brunei Darussalam at rank 183 with 0.24%, and four countries — Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Macao SAR, and Singapore — tied at rank 184 with 0.00%. Peru ranked 171st at 2.78% and the United Kingdom ranked 172nd at 2.69%, both well below the global midpoint.
This metric has notable limitations. The simple mean treats all product lines equally regardless of trade volume, so a high tariff on a rarely traded product weighs the same as a tariff on a major import category. Data recency varies by country: 76.5% of entries use 2022 data, meaning some country values reflect earlier years. The 999% spread between the minimum (0.00%) and maximum (33.23%) values indicates high variance across the dataset. MFN rates also do not capture preferential rates granted through bilateral or regional trade agreements, meaning actual applied tariffs for many trading partners may differ substantially from the figures shown here.
Methodology
Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code TM.TAX.MANF.SM.FN.ZS, for the reference year 2022. The source definition states: the 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 ranking covers 187 countries, surpassing the 80-country coverage threshold. 181 of 187 entries (96.8%) use data from the last seven years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official. Nine extreme outliers were flagged at the 3-sigma threshold. The average year-over-year change is 4.1%, well within the 50% volatility threshold. Values range from 0.00% to 33.23%, a spread of 999%. Higher values indicate higher average MFN tariff rates on manufactured goods, and for this ranking higher is treated as better per the ranking criteria.