Economy · Imports of goods and services · Somalia
Somalia’s imports of goods and services fell to 98.8% of GDP in 2025.
98.8% of GDP
2025
Down 0.3 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
98.8% of GDP
What it is. This measure adds up the value of everything Somalia buys from abroad, both physical goods and services such as shipping and travel, and divides it by the size of the economy. A figure close to the full size of the economy means foreign purchases roughly match the value of all output produced at home. The ratio leaves out how those imports are paid for, whether through exports, money sent home by relatives abroad or aid.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher share can mean strong demand and open trade, or heavy reliance on foreign supply. A lower share can mean more home production, or less money available to spend abroad. The direction therefore depends on what drives it. The latest figure is 98.8% of GDP for 2025, down 0.3 percentage points from 99.1% of GDP a year earlier. Since 2016 the share has ranged from a low of 55.6% of GDP in 2017 to a high of 99.1% of GDP in 2024, so the latest reading sits just below the top of that range.
Why it matters. With imports close to the full size of the economy, much of the food, fuel and other goods Somali households use arrives from abroad, so prices follow shipping costs and exchange rates. Firms that trade through the ports carry a large share of economic activity. The state relies on that port trade for customs revenue, so a change in import volumes quickly affects public finances.
| Period | Imports of goods and services · Somalia |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 58.2% of GDP |
| 2017 | 55.6% of GDP |
| 2018 | 59.6% of GDP |
| 2019 | 57.2% of GDP |
| 2020 | 62% of GDP |
| 2021 | 62.9% of GDP |
| 2022 | 73.1% of GDP |
| 2023 | 81.2% of GDP |
| 2024 | 99.1% of GDP |
| 2025 | 98.8% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Imports of goods and services, Somalia, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/imports/somalia
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Methodology
Imports of goods and services as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series NE.IMP.GNFS.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.