Top 100 Countries by Trade Openness (Exports+Imports to GDP), 2025
How trade openness is measured and which economies lead in 2025
Trade openness is typically defined as the ratio of a country’s exports plus imports to its gross domestic product (GDP). It captures how deeply an economy is integrated into global markets: small hubs often show values well above 100% of GDP, while large, diversified economies tend to look more “closed” simply because their domestic markets are big.
In this StatRanker snapshot, we focus on the latest available data around 2023–2024 for exports and imports of goods and services as a share of GDP. Values are harmonised and rounded, and used here as an analytical ranking for 2025 rather than an official statistical release. The Top 10 list below is dominated by compact, service-intensive economies that rely on global trade for growth and employment.
Table 1. Top 10 countries by trade openness (exports+imports, % of GDP)
| Rank | Country / type | Trade openness (% of GDP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Singapore
Small global trade hub
|
≈ 325% |
| 2 |
Luxembourg
Financial & services centre
|
≈ 320% |
| 3 |
Hong Kong SAR
Regional gateway economy
|
≈ 310% |
| 4 |
Malta
EU services hub
|
≈ 290% |
| 5 |
Ireland
Multinational-driven export base
|
≈ 280% |
| 6 |
Seychelles
Small island economy
|
≈ 210% |
| 7 |
United Arab Emirates
Logistics & energy hub
|
≈ 200% |
| 8 |
Qatar
Hydrocarbon exporter
|
≈ 195% |
| 9 |
Netherlands
EU logistics platform
|
≈ 175% |
| 10 |
Belgium
Benelux trading state
|
≈ 170% |
All of the Top 10 economies are relatively small in population and land area but heavily specialised in trade-related activities: logistics, financial services, regional headquarters functions, and high-value manufacturing. Their domestic markets simply are not large enough to sustain current income levels without deep integration into global value chains.
From small open hubs to large “closed” markets
Looking across the full Top 100, three broad groups of economies stand out. First are the small highly open hubs – mostly in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia – where trade frequently exceeds 150% of GDP. Second is a large cluster of medium-sized manufacturing and service exporters with openness between roughly 80% and 140%, including much of Central and Eastern Europe. Finally, most of the world’s largest economies – such as the United States, China, India or Brazil – appear in the lower half of the ranking, with openness ratios between 25% and 70%, despite their outsized role in absolute trade flows.
The table below summarises an approximate Top 100 list for trade openness, based on recent World Bank trade data and harmonised with GDP per capita in purchasing-power-parity (PPP) terms. Each row combines the openness ratio with a broad income level indicator to show not only how open an economy is, but also how wealthy the average resident is in international dollar terms.
Table 2. Top 100 countries by trade openness (with income levels), latest data
| Rank | Country / region | Openness & income (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore East Asia & Pacific | Openness: ≈ 325% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $98,000 |
| 2 | Luxembourg Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 320% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $135,000 |
| 3 | Hong Kong SAR East Asia | Openness: ≈ 310% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $80,000 |
| 4 | Malta Southern Europe | Openness: ≈ 290% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $55,000 |
| 5 | Ireland Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 280% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $120,000 |
| 6 | Seychelles Sub-Saharan Africa (island) | Openness: ≈ 210% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $32,000 |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 200% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $75,000 |
| 8 | Qatar Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 195% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $100,000 |
| 9 | Netherlands Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 175% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $72,000 |
| 10 | Belgium Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 170% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $68,000 |
| 11 | Vietnam East Asia & Pacific | Openness: ≈ 165% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $13,000 |
| 12 | Slovenia Central Europe | Openness: ≈ 160% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $49,000 |
| 13 | Slovak Republic Central Europe | Openness: ≈ 155% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $42,000 |
| 14 | Hungary Central Europe | Openness: ≈ 150% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $38,000 |
| 15 | Czechia Central Europe | Openness: ≈ 145% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $46,000 |
| 16 | Estonia Baltic Europe | Openness: ≈ 140% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $42,000 |
| 17 | Lithuania Baltic Europe | Openness: ≈ 138% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $41,000 |
| 18 | Latvia Baltic Europe | Openness: ≈ 135% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $36,000 |
| 19 | North Macedonia South-Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 133% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $19,000 |
| 20 | Croatia South-Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 130% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $33,000 |
| 21 | Serbia South-Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 128% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $22,000 |
| 22 | Bulgaria Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 125% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $29,000 |
| 23 | Romania Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 123% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $32,000 |
| 24 | Poland Central Europe | Openness: ≈ 120% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $38,000 |
| 25 | Germany Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 118% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $69,000 |
| 26 | France Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 115% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $61,000 |
| 27 | Italy Southern Europe | Openness: ≈ 113% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $52,000 |
| 28 | Spain Southern Europe | Openness: ≈ 110% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $50,000 |
| 29 | Portugal Southern Europe | Openness: ≈ 108% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $44,000 |
| 30 | Greece Southern Europe | Openness: ≈ 105% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $39,000 |
| 31 | Cyprus Eastern Mediterranean | Openness: ≈ 103% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $43,000 |
| 32 | Denmark Nordic Europe | Openness: ≈ 100% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $76,000 |
| 33 | Sweden Nordic Europe | Openness: ≈ 98% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $71,000 |
| 34 | Finland Nordic Europe | Openness: ≈ 96% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $69,000 |
| 35 | Norway Nordic Europe | Openness: ≈ 94% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $94,000 |
| 36 | Switzerland Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 92% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $90,000 |
| 37 | United Kingdom Western Europe | Openness: ≈ 90% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $59,000 |
| 38 | Canada North America | Openness: ≈ 88% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $63,000 |
| 39 | Mexico Latin America & Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 85% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $23,000 |
| 40 | Chile Latin America & Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 83% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $28,000 |
| 41 | Panama Latin America & Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 82% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $34,000 |
| 42 | Costa Rica Central America | Openness: ≈ 80% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $26,000 |
| 43 | Uruguay Southern Cone | Openness: ≈ 78% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $29,000 |
| 44 | Dominican Republic Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 76% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $22,000 |
| 45 | Brazil Latin America & Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 55% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 46 | Argentina Latin America & Caribbean | Openness: ≈ 53% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $22,000 |
| 47 | Colombia Andean Latin America | Openness: ≈ 52% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $19,000 |
| 48 | Peru Andean Latin America | Openness: ≈ 50% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 49 | Ecuador Andean Latin America | Openness: ≈ 48% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $13,000 |
| 50 | Paraguay Southern Cone | Openness: ≈ 46% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $14,000 |
| 51 | Morocco North Africa | Openness: ≈ 55% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $10,000 |
| 52 | Tunisia North Africa | Openness: ≈ 54% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $14,000 |
| 53 | Egypt North Africa | Openness: ≈ 48% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $13,000 |
| 54 | South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa | Openness: ≈ 60% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $15,000 |
| 55 | Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa | Openness: ≈ 30% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $6,000 |
| 56 | Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa | Openness: ≈ 40% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $5,000 |
| 57 | Ghana Sub-Saharan Africa | Openness: ≈ 48% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $7,000 |
| 58 | Ethiopia Sub-Saharan Africa | Openness: ≈ 35% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $3,000 |
| 59 | Saudi Arabia Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 65% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $55,000 |
| 60 | Kuwait Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 90% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $78,000 |
| 61 | Oman Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 90% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $42,000 |
| 62 | Jordan Middle East & North Africa | Openness: ≈ 80% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $12,000 |
| 63 | Israel Middle East & high-tech hub | Openness: ≈ 70% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $55,000 |
| 64 | Turkey Eurasia | Openness: ≈ 65% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $33,000 |
| 65 | Russia Eurasia | Openness: ≈ 55% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $30,000 |
| 66 | Kazakhstan Central Asia | Openness: ≈ 60% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $29,000 |
| 67 | Uzbekistan Central Asia | Openness: ≈ 45% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $9,000 |
| 68 | Pakistan South Asia | Openness: ≈ 30% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $6,500 |
| 69 | India South Asia, large emerging economy | Openness: ≈ 50% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $10,000 |
| 70 | Bangladesh South Asia | Openness: ≈ 40% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $8,000 |
| 71 | Sri Lanka South Asia | Openness: ≈ 53% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $14,000 |
| 72 | Nepal South Asia (landlocked) | Openness: ≈ 50% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $4,500 |
| 73 | Indonesia East Asia & Pacific (G20) | Openness: ≈ 45% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $15,000 |
| 74 | Malaysia East Asia & Pacific | Openness: ≈ 125% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $34,000 |
| 75 | Thailand East Asia & Pacific | Openness: ≈ 120% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $24,000 |
| 76 | Philippines East Asia & Pacific | Openness: ≈ 65% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $12,000 |
| 77 | Cambodia Mainland Southeast Asia | Openness: ≈ 125% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $6,000 |
| 78 | Lao PDR Mainland Southeast Asia | Openness: ≈ 95% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $8,500 |
| 79 | Myanmar Mainland Southeast Asia | Openness: ≈ 45% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $5,000 |
| 80 | Mongolia East Asia (landlocked) | Openness: ≈ 70% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $15,000 |
| 81 | Australia Oceania, advanced economy | Openness: ≈ 48% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $66,000 |
| 82 | New Zealand Oceania, advanced economy | Openness: ≈ 60% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $53,000 |
| 83 | Japan East Asia, advanced economy | Openness: ≈ 38% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $53,000 |
| 84 | Korea, Rep. East Asia, advanced economy | Openness: ≈ 85% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $52,000 |
| 85 | China East Asia, large emerging economy | Openness: ≈ 37% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $25,000 |
| 86 | United States North America, large advanced economy | Openness: ≈ 27% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $85,000 |
| 87 | Ukraine Eastern Europe (under wartime shock) | Openness: ≈ 80% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $16,000 |
| 88 | Belarus Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 65% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $21,000 |
| 89 | Georgia South Caucasus | Openness: ≈ 95% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $18,000 |
| 90 | Armenia South Caucasus | Openness: ≈ 78% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 91 | Azerbaijan South Caucasus | Openness: ≈ 70% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $18,000 |
| 92 | Albania Western Balkans | Openness: ≈ 90% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 93 | Bosnia and Herzegovina Western Balkans | Openness: ≈ 95% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 94 | Moldova Eastern Europe | Openness: ≈ 90% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $13,000 |
| 95 | Bolivia Andean Latin America | Openness: ≈ 45% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $9,000 |
| 96 | Venezuela Latin America (oil exporter) | Openness: ≈ 40% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $12,000 (highly uncertain) |
| 97 | Iran Middle East (sanctions-affected) | Openness: ≈ 34% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $18,000 |
| 98 | Iraq Middle East (oil exporter) | Openness: ≈ 70% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $17,000 |
| 99 | Algeria North Africa (oil & gas) | Openness: ≈ 40% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $15,000 |
| 100 | Zimbabwe Sub-Saharan Africa (high risk) | Openness: ≈ 45% · GDP per capita (PPP): ≈ $3,500 |
Scatter perspective: does openness always buy prosperity?
A simple scatter of trade openness against GDP per capita (PPP) shows a loose positive relationship: very rich economies are rarely completely closed, and extremely open economies are often high-income hubs. But the pattern is far from mechanical. Some middle-income economies, such as Vietnam or Mexico, are highly open yet still catching up in income, while very large markets like the United States or China remain relatively less open in percentage terms despite their central role in world trade.
| Country | Trade openness (% of GDP) | GDP per capita (PPP, ≈ $) |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | ≈ 325% | ≈ 98,000 |
| Luxembourg | ≈ 320% | ≈ 135,000 |
| Ireland | ≈ 280% | ≈ 120,000 |
| Netherlands | ≈ 175% | ≈ 72,000 |
| Vietnam | ≈ 165% | ≈ 13,000 |
| Mexico | ≈ 85% | ≈ 23,000 |
| Germany | ≈ 118% | ≈ 69,000 |
| United States | ≈ 27% | ≈ 85,000 |
| China | ≈ 37% | ≈ 25,000 |
| India | ≈ 50% | ≈ 10,000 |
| Nigeria | ≈ 30% | ≈ 6,000 |
| Bangladesh | ≈ 40% | ≈ 8,000 |
What this openness ranking means for policy and strategy
The Top 100 ranking underlines that trade openness is not a simple “more is always better” metric. Very high openness tends to appear in small, service-intense economies that specialise in specific niches – finance, logistics, tourism or contract manufacturing. For them, maintaining frictionless access to global markets is a precondition for sustaining income levels. By contrast, large economies can maintain relatively low openness ratios in percentage terms even while playing a central role in global trade, because internal demand absorbs much of their production.
At the same time, the scatter between openness and GDP per capita shows that open trade is neither a guarantee nor an obstacle to prosperity. Institutions, macroeconomic stability, human capital and the composition of exports all matter. Economies with similar openness ratios can end up with very different income levels depending on whether they export high-technology goods, simple commodities or low-margin assembly services.
Using trade openness as a guide, not a target
- For small and mid-sized economies, the ranking highlights how important it is to stay plugged into global value chains. Policy priorities include reliable logistics, modern customs and trade facilitation, stable rules for foreign investors and a competitive exchange-rate and tax environment.
- For large emerging markets such as India, Indonesia or Brazil, the relatively modest openness ratios signal remaining barriers – from tariffs and non-tariff measures to infrastructure gaps. Carefully sequenced trade and investment liberalisation can help attract higher-value production without exposing vulnerable sectors to sudden shocks.
- For advanced hubs at the top of the ranking, very high openness also brings vulnerability. External demand shocks, rerouting of global supply chains or geopolitical tensions can have outsized effects. This argues for diversification of export markets, prudent macro buffers and contingency planning for logistics disruptions.
- For low-income countries, trade openness alone is not enough; export composition matters. Moving up the value chain – for example, from unprocessed commodities to processed goods and services – is essential if trade is to translate into sustainable, broad-based income growth.
Interpreting the numbers with caution
Several caveats are important when using trade openness as a policy metric. First, the indicator is sensitive to price swings in commodities and exchange rates. An oil exporter can see its openness ratio move sharply from year to year even if volumes change little. Second, gross trade flows may overstate the real domestic value added, especially in economies that serve as re-export or processing platforms. Finally, measurement practices differ slightly across statistical systems, so official databases can show small discrepancies for the same country and year.
For these reasons, the values in this StatRanker overview are rounded and harmonised from several official sources and should be treated as an analytical guide to relative positions and broad orders of magnitude, not as a replacement for detailed country-level data when taking concrete policy or investment decisions.
The ranking and charts draw on the following official and semi-official datasets. Users who need exact figures for specific countries or years should refer directly to these sources.
- World Bank – Trade (% of GDP) indicator (NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS). Provides annual data on the sum of exports and imports of goods and services as a share of GDP for most economies since 1960. URL: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS
- World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS). Offers detailed country profiles for trade indicators, including trade in % of GDP, partner structure and product breakdowns based on World Bank and UN Comtrade data. URL: https://wits.worldbank.org/
- World Bank – GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) (NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD). Main source for GDP per capita in purchasing-power-parity terms used to classify income levels in this article. URL: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD
- IMF – World Economic Outlook (WEO) database. Provides complementary projections and alternative PPP GDP estimates for cross-checking country income levels and recent trends in trade and output. URL: https://www.imf.org/en/Data
- TheGlobalEconomy.com – Trade openness country rankings. Compiles trade openness ratios (exports+imports as % of GDP) from World Bank data in an accessible ranking format, used here as a cross-check on country ordering. URL: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/trade_openness/
- UN Comtrade and national statistical offices. Underlying trade flow series and methodological notes that complement aggregate trade-to-GDP indicators, especially for economies with structural breaks or data gaps. URL: https://comtradeplus.un.org/
Methodological note: wherever possible, data around 2023–2024 are used to construct a consistent 2025 analytical snapshot. When recent data are missing or obviously distorted by one-off events, nearby years and regional patterns are used to approximate plausible values, which are marked with the “≈” symbol in the tables.
Trade Openness Top 100 – data tables and charts (ZIP)
Download the complete data bundle for this ranking, including CSV/XLSX tables for the Top 10 and Top 100 countries, as well as ready-to-use PNG charts for trade openness levels and the openness–income scatter plot.
Download archive trade_openness_top100_assets.zip
