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Trade & investment · World Bank region

Trade & investment in South Asia: how the countries rank

How open economies are: exports, imports, investment, remittances and tourism. 13 indicators for the 6 economies of South Asia, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Exports21.0%South Asia, 2025 · world 29.5%Imports23.5%South Asia, 2025 · world 28.5%Trade openness44.6%South Asia, 2025 · world 68.5%Current account-0.3%median countryMerchandise exports$511bnSouth Asia, 2025 · world $26.4tnHigh-tech exports18.1%South Asia, 2024 · world 24.7%Fuel exports12.8%South Asia, 2025 · world 9.5%Food exports12.6%South Asia, 2025 · world 9.0%
Exports
South AsiaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
0%20%40%60%1995200020052010201520202025South Asia21.0%WorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
Imports
South AsiaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
0%20%40%60%1995200020052010201520202025South Asia23.5%WorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
countries

All 6 economies, trade & investment

Latest value and rank within the group (small figure). Click a column to sort; the country name opens its trade & investment profile.

6 shown
CountryExportsImportsTrade opennessCurrent accountMerchandise exportsHigh-tech exportsFuel exportsFood exports
Maldives78.2%#1 · 202478.3%#1 · 2024156.5%#1 · 2024-6.2%#5 · 2025$444m#6 · 20250.0%#5 · 20240.1%#3 · 202597.0%#1 · 2025
Bhutan31.5%#2 · 202447.9%#2 · 202479.4%#2 · 2024-19.4%#6 · 2024$800m#5 · 20250.0%#4 · 20230.0%#5 · 20255.9%#5 · 2025
India22.3%#3 · 202524.0%#4 · 202546.3%#3 · 2025-0.5%#4 · 2025$445bn#1 · 202518.6%#1 · 202413.1%#1 · 202511.9%#4 · 2025
Sri Lanka19.0%#4 · 202522.8%#5 · 202541.8%#5 · 20251.6%#2 · 2025$13.6bn#3 · 20251.5%#2 · 20243.6%#2 · 202529.0%#3 · 2025
Bangladesh11.1%#5 · 202516.8%#6 · 202528.0%#6 · 20250.0%#3 · 2025$48.2bn#2 · 2025———
Nepal8.8%#6 · 202533.7%#3 · 202542.6%#4 · 202510.7%#1 · 2025$2.3bn#4 · 20250.6%#3 · 20220.0%#4 · 202249.4%#2 · 2022
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Ranks count group members with a value in the recent window.
within the group

Highest and lowest, indicator by indicator

Exports6 countries
  1. 1Maldives78.2%2024
  2. 2Bhutan31.5%2024
  3. 3India22.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Nepal8.8%2025
  2. 5Bangladesh11.1%2025
  3. 4Sri Lanka19.0%2025
Median country 20.6% · group 21.0%
Imports6 countries
  1. 1Maldives78.3%2024
  2. 2Bhutan47.9%2024
  3. 3Nepal33.7%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Bangladesh16.8%2025
  2. 5Sri Lanka22.8%2025
  3. 4India24.0%2025
Median country 28.9% · group 23.5%
Trade openness6 countries
  1. 1Maldives156.5%2024
  2. 2Bhutan79.4%2024
  3. 3India46.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Bangladesh28.0%2025
  2. 5Sri Lanka41.8%2025
  3. 4Nepal42.6%2025
Median country 44.4% · group 44.6%
Current account6 countries
  1. 1Nepal10.7%2025
  2. 2Sri Lanka1.6%2025
  3. 3Bangladesh0.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Bhutan-19.4%2024
  2. 5Maldives-6.2%2025
  3. 4India-0.5%2025
Median country -0.3%
Merchandise exports6 countries
  1. 1India$445bn2025
  2. 2Bangladesh$48.2bn2025
  3. 3Sri Lanka$13.6bn2025
Lowest
  1. 6Maldives$444m2025
  2. 5Bhutan$800m2025
  3. 4Nepal$2.3bn2025
Median country $7.9bn · group $511bn
High-tech exports5 countries
  1. 1India18.6%2024
  2. 2Sri Lanka1.5%2024
  3. 3Nepal0.6%2022
Lowest
  1. 5Maldives0.0%2024
  2. 4Bhutan0.0%2023
  3. 3Nepal0.6%2022
Median country 0.6% · group 18.1%
Fuel exports5 countries
  1. 1India13.1%2025
  2. 2Sri Lanka3.6%2025
  3. 3Maldives0.1%2025
Lowest
  1. 5Bhutan0.0%2025
  2. 4Nepal0.0%2022
  3. 3Maldives0.1%2025
Median country 0.1% · group 12.8%
Food exports5 countries
  1. 1Maldives97.0%2025
  2. 2Nepal49.4%2022
  3. 3Sri Lanka29.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 5Bhutan5.9%2025
  2. 4India11.9%2025
  3. 3Sri Lanka29.0%2025
Median country 29.0% · group 12.6%
Average tariff6 countries
  1. 1Nepal11.2%2022
  2. 2Maldives11.1%2022
  3. 3Bangladesh10.6%2022
Lowest
  1. 6Sri Lanka4.4%2021
  2. 5India4.6%2022
  3. 4Bhutan4.8%2022
Median country 7.7%
FDI inflows6 countries
  1. 1Maldives11.1%2025
  2. 2India1.0%2025
  3. 3Sri Lanka1.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Nepal0.1%2025
  2. 5Bhutan0.2%2025
  3. 4Bangladesh0.4%2025
Median country 0.7% · group 1.0%
Remittances6 countries
  1. 1Nepal32.3%2025
  2. 2Sri Lanka7.6%2025
  3. 3Bangladesh7.4%2025
Lowest
  1. 6Maldives0.1%2025
  2. 5Bhutan3.3%2024
  3. 4India3.8%2025
Median country 5.6% · group 4.5%
Tourist arrivals6 countries
  1. 1India17.9m2019
  2. 2Maldives555,0002020
  3. 3Sri Lanka540,0002020
Lowest
  1. 6Bhutan29,8002020
  2. 5Nepal230,0002020
  3. 4Bangladesh323,0002019
Median country 431,500 · group 27.1m
Tourism receipts6 countries
  1. 1India$13.4bn2020
  2. 2Maldives$1.4bn2020
  3. 3Sri Lanka$1.1bn2020
Lowest
  1. 6Bhutan$84.0m2020
  2. 5Bangladesh$218m2020
  3. 4Nepal$238m2020
Median country $657m · group $41.9bn
more

Other topics in South Asia

South Asia: overview
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