Countries With the Fastest Growth in Trade share of GDP (5-Year Change)

Name: Countries With the Fastest Growth in Trade share of GDP (5-Year Change)
Creator: The World Bank
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Change in Trade share of GDP over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that rose are listed. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

Cuba rose the most: by 102 pts, from 22.8% of GDP to 124.9% of GDP in the five years to 2024. Libya is second (+86.7 pts), followed by Somalia, Fed. Rep. (+52.4 pts). 132 countries rose over that period; the median change among them was +10.5 pts.

#1: Cuba · +102 pts
Median: +10.5 pts
Coverage: 132 countries
Data year: 2025
Last updated: 2026-11-14

Top 10: 5-year change (points). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Cuba 102; 2. Libya 86.7; 3. Somalia, Fed. Rep. 52.4; 4. Virgin Islands (US) 47.9; 5. Hong Kong SAR, China 46; 6. United Arab Emirates 44.3; 7. Kosovo 42.6; 8. Thailand 40.7; 9. Namibia 31.7; 10. Armenia 31.6.

Full ranking

Countries With the Fastest Growth in Trade share of GDP (5-Year Change), 2025
Rank	Country	From	To	5-year change (points)
1	Cuba	22.8	124.9	+102 pts
2	Libya	51	137.7	+86.7 pts
3	Somalia, Fed. Rep.	75.7	128.1	+52.4 pts
4	Virgin Islands (US)	157.7	205.6	+47.9 pts
5	Hong Kong SAR, China	350.7	396.7	+46 pts
6	United Arab Emirates	154.8	199	+44.3 pts
7	Kosovo	75.6	118.2	+42.6 pts
8	Thailand	97.7	138.4	+40.7 pts
9	Namibia	76.9	108.6	+31.7 pts
10	Armenia	70.1	101.7	+31.6 pts
11	San Marino	309.5	341	+31.5 pts
12	Naoero	135	165.4	+30.5 pts
13	Cyprus	160.7	189.5	+28.8 pts
14	Oman	86.5	114.9	+28.4 pts
15	Solomon Islands	83	111.4	+28.4 pts
16	Viet Nam	163.3	190.3	+27.1 pts
17	Congo, Dem. Rep.	61	87.3	+26.3 pts
18	Aruba	137.9	164.1	+26.2 pts
19	Switzerland	121.5	147.2	+25.7 pts
20	Timor-Leste	70.6	95.4	+24.8 pts
21	Denmark	104.4	129.2	+24.8 pts
22	Morocco	68.8	93.1	+24.3 pts
23	Congo, Rep.	69.3	91.7	+22.4 pts
24	Bahrain	135.4	157.5	+22.1 pts
25	El Salvador	66.5	88.2	+21.7 pts
26	Eswatini	86.6	107.5	+20.8 pts
27	Korea, Rep.	65.5	86.4	+20.8 pts
28	Albania	59.5	79.5	+20 pts
29	Sweden	84.5	104.3	+19.9 pts
30	Malaysia	116.8	136.4	+19.6 pts
31	Maldives	137.1	156.5	+19.3 pts
32	Lebanon	63	82.2	+19.3 pts
33	Egypt, Arab Rep.	32.1	51.3	+19.2 pts
34	Mauritius	121.1	139.9	+18.8 pts
35	Seychelles	153.5	172.3	+18.8 pts
36	Sierra Leone	30.6	49.1	+18.5 pts
37	Estonia	137.4	155.8	+18.4 pts
38	Montenegro	87.9	105.8	+17.9 pts
39	Mongolia	112.8	130.7	+17.9 pts
40	Tunisia	84.3	101.5	+17.1 pts
41	Cabo Verde	78.4	95.3	+16.9 pts
42	Iran, Islamic Rep.	43.9	60.2	+16.4 pts
43	Macao SAR, China	123.4	139.1	+15.7 pts
44	Norway	63.4	79.1	+15.7 pts
45	Ecuador	44	59.4	+15.4 pts
46	Gabon	70.1	84.9	+14.8 pts
47	Gambia, The	47.4	62.2	+14.8 pts
48	Cambodia	122.1	136.1	+14 pts
49	Iceland	68.7	82.5	+13.8 pts
50	Paraguay	62.8	76.5	+13.7 pts
51	Kyrgyz Republic	79	92.4	+13.4 pts
52	Moldova	79.3	92.7	+13.4 pts
53	Brunei Darussalam	110.3	123.6	+13.3 pts
54	Uganda	37	50.2	+13.2 pts
55	Greece	70.3	83.5	+13.2 pts
56	Lesotho	141.1	154	+12.9 pts
57	Côte d'Ivoire	41.9	54.6	+12.6 pts
58	Serbia	100.3	112.9	+12.6 pts
59	Bosnia and Herzegovina	82.5	95.1	+12.6 pts
60	Rwanda	44.4	56.7	+12.3 pts
61	Costa Rica	59.7	71.5	+11.7 pts
62	Croatia	89.5	101	+11.4 pts
63	Finland	72.2	83.4	+11.2 pts
64	Senegal	60	71.1	+11 pts
65	Tanzania	28	39	+11 pts
66	Japan	34.4	44.9	+10.5 pts
67	Bahamas, The	68.8	79.2	+10.5 pts
68	Indonesia	33	43.4	+10.4 pts
69	Saudi Arabia	47.5	57.9	+10.4 pts
70	South Africa	50.8	60.9	+10.2 pts
71	Spain	59.4	69.5	+10 pts
72	Portugal	76.5	86.4	+9.89 pts
73	Ethiopia	24	33.5	+9.45 pts
74	Qatar	91.5	100.2	+8.71 pts
75	Philippines	58.2	66.8	+8.62 pts
76	Italy	53.9	62.5	+8.58 pts
77	India	37.8	46.3	+8.51 pts
78	France	58.8	67.2	+8.35 pts
79	Fiji	110.7	119	+8.26 pts
80	Iraq	69	77.1	+8.15 pts
81	Marshall Islands	107.8	115.9	+8.08 pts
82	Azerbaijan	72	79.8	+7.81 pts
83	Nicaragua	88.6	96.5	+7.81 pts
84	Georgia	92.9	100.6	+7.74 pts
85	Peru	44.2	51.8	+7.57 pts
86	West Bank and Gaza	67.3	74.8	+7.47 pts
87	Mauritania	86.8	94	+7.25 pts
88	Comoros	33.7	40.9	+7.16 pts
89	Kenya	30.4	37.5	+7.12 pts
90	Austria	99.9	107	+7.07 pts
91	Chile	58.2	65	+6.81 pts
92	Dominican Republic	44.7	51.5	+6.76 pts
93	Belize	102.4	109	+6.53 pts
94	Lithuania	135.8	142.1	+6.31 pts
95	Latvia	123.9	129.7	+5.84 pts
96	Germany	72.9	78.5	+5.58 pts
97	Chad	40.6	46.1	+5.49 pts
98	Guatemala	41.1	46.5	+5.39 pts
99	Madagascar	49	54.2	+5.23 pts
100	Zimbabwe	36.5	41.5	+4.99 pts

Showing the top 100 of 132. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#1 Cuba

Cuba ranks #1 on this list with +102 pts.

Capital: Havana
Continent: North America
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 10.94 million people (2025)
GDP: US$107.35 billion (2020)
GDP per person: US$9,605 (2020)
Life expectancy: 78.3 years (2024)
Urban population: 77.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Havana.

Also ranks #1 in physicians per 1,000 · #2 in women in parliament share · #3 in immunisation (measles) rate.

Full country profile

#2 Libya

Libya ranks #2 on this list with +86.7 pts.

Capital: Tripoli
Continent: Africa
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 7.46 million people (2025)
GDP: US$48.1 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$6,449 (2025)
Life expectancy: 71.1 years (2024)
Urban population: 87.9% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Tripoli.

Also ranks #1 in natural resource rents share of gdp · #1 in oil rents share of gdp · #2 in industry value added share of gdp.

Full country profile

#3 Somalia, Fed. Rep.

Somalia, Fed. Rep. ranks #3 on this list with +52.4 pts.

Capital: Mogadishu
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 19.66 million people (2025)
GDP: US$13 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$661.2 (2025)
Life expectancy: 59 years (2024)
Urban population: 55.1% of population (2025)

Largest cities: North East State of Somalia, Mogadishu.

Also ranks #1 in prevalence of undernourishment · #2 in population ages 0-14 share · #2 in age dependency ratio (young).

Full country profile

#4 Virgin Islands (US)

Virgin Islands (US) ranks #4 on this list with +47.9 pts.

Capital: Charlotte Amalie
Continent: North America
Income group: High income
Population: 103,790 people (2025)
GDP: US$4.67 billion (2022)
GDP per person: US$44,321 (2022)
Life expectancy: 80.8 years (2024)
Urban population: 95.4% of population (2025)

Also ranks #8 in age dependency ratio (old) · #8 in trade share of gdp · #13 in population ages 65+ share.

Full country profile

#5 Hong Kong SAR, China

Hong Kong SAR, China ranks #5 on this list with +46 pts.

Continent: Asia
Income group: High income
Population: 7.5 million people (2025)
GDP: US$427.31 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$56,983 (2025)
Life expectancy: 85.4 years (2024)
Urban population: 100% of population (2025)
International tourist arrivals: 3.57 million arrivals (2020)

Also ranks #1 in female population share · #1 in trade share of gdp · #2 in female life expectancy.

Full country profile Weather in Hong Kong (Purr Weather)

#6 United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates ranks #6 on this list with +44.3 pts.

Capital: Abu Dhabi
Continent: Asia
Income group: High income
Population: 11.51 million people (2025)
GDP: US$552.32 billion (2024)
GDP per person: US$50,274 (2024)
Life expectancy: 83.1 years (2024)
Urban population: 86% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah.

Also ranks #1 in population growth rate · #1 in internet users share · #2 in male population share.

Full country profile

#7 Kosovo

Kosovo ranks #7 on this list with +42.6 pts.

Continent: Europe
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 1.58 million people (2025)
GDP: US$12.46 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$7,899 (2025)
Life expectancy: 78.2 years (2024)
Urban population: 50.9% of population (2025)

Also ranks #2 in firms using banks to finance investment share · #13 in gross capital formation rate · #32 in population ages 15-64 share.

Full country profile

#8 Thailand

Thailand ranks #8 on this list with +40.7 pts.

Capital: Bangkok
Continent: Asia
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 71.62 million people (2025)
GDP: US$577.01 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$8,057 (2025)
Life expectancy: 76.6 years (2024)
Urban population: 62.8% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai.

Also ranks #5 in tourism arrivals · #10 in tourism receipts · #11 in manufacturing value added share of gdp.

Full country profile

#9 Namibia

Namibia ranks #9 on this list with +31.7 pts.

Capital: Windhoek
Continent: Africa
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 3.09 million people (2025)
GDP: US$15.08 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$4,876 (2025)
Life expectancy: 67.5 years (2024)
Urban population: 50.9% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in women in ministerial positions share · #2 in tax revenue share of gdp · #4 in education expenditure share of gdp.

Full country profile

#10 Armenia

Armenia ranks #10 on this list with +31.6 pts.

Capital: Yerevan
Continent: Asia
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 3.09 million people (2025)
GDP: US$29.24 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$9,474 (2025)
Life expectancy: 78.3 years (2024)
Urban population: 65.9% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Yerevan.

Also ranks #5 in electricity access rate · #5 in access to electricity (rural) · #7 in female population share.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Source and method

Change in Trade share of GDP over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that rose are listed.

Source: The World Bank, indicator NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Trade (% of GDP): Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).

Values are shown as published (changes are computed from the published values). Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.

Summary

Full ranking

About the top 10

#1 Cuba

#2 Libya

#3 Somalia, Fed. Rep.

#4 Virgin Islands (US)

#5 Hong Kong SAR, China

#6 United Arab Emirates

#7 Kosovo

#8 Thailand

#9 Namibia

#10 Armenia

Related rankings

Source and method