Japan - Imports of goods and services (% of GDP)

Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) in Japan was 15.54 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 50 years was 20.01 in 2014, while its lowest value was 6.94 in 1993.

Definition: Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

See also:

Year Value
1970 9.21
1971 8.69
1972 8.00
1973 9.68
1974 13.87
1975 12.33
1976 12.33
1977 11.07
1978 9.07
1979 12.05
1980 14.10
1981 13.51
1982 13.37
1983 11.76
1984 11.95
1985 10.70
1986 7.24
1987 7.17
1988 7.61
1989 8.76
1990 9.44
1991 8.29
1992 7.64
1993 6.94
1994 6.97
1995 7.57
1996 8.94
1997 9.40
1998 8.63
1999 8.32
2000 9.10
2001 9.48
2002 9.59
2003 9.86
2004 10.88
2005 12.41
2006 14.36
2007 15.53
2008 16.89
2009 11.97
2010 13.58
2011 15.42
2012 16.06
2013 18.19
2014 20.01
2015 17.99
2016 15.25
2017 16.83
2018 18.31
2019 17.40
2020 15.54

Limitations and Exceptions: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on exports and imports are compiled from customs reports and balance of payments data. Although the data from the payments side provide reasonably reliable records of cross-border transactions, they may not adhere strictly to the appropriate definitions of valuation and timing used in the balance of payments or corresponds to the change-of ownership criterion. This issue has assumed greater significance with the increasing globalization of international business. Neither customs nor balance of payments data usually capture the illegal transactions that occur in many countries. Goods carried by travelers across borders in legal but unreported shuttle trade may further distort trade statistics.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross domestic product (GDP) from the expenditure side is made up of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (private and public investment in fixed assets, changes in inventories, and net acquisitions of valuables), and net exports (exports minus imports) of goods and services. Such expenditures are recorded in purchaser prices and include net taxes on products.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: National accounts