From 2019 to 2020, the overall value of Asia’s exported goods dropped by -5.8%.
International sales of products originating from Asia represent 42.3% of the value of exports from all countries around the world. Asia’s percentage in 2020 is much higher than that continent’s 38% share of overall exports back in 2016.
Calculated using statistics from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Database, the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for selected Asian countries on a Purchase Power Parity (PPP) basis amounted to roughly $64 trillion for 2020. Therefore, Asia’s total exported goods account for an estimated 11.2% of total Asian economic output in terms of GDP on PPP basis in 2020.
Given Asia’s population of approximately 4.68 billion people as of July 12, 2021, the total $7.256 trillion in 2020 Asian exports translates to roughly $1,550 for every person living in Asia.
Top Asian Export Countries
Below are the top Asian exporting entities that achieved the highest dollar value in global shipments during 2020. Also shown is each country’s percentage value change from 2016 plus its overall share of Asia’s overall exports.
The top 10 Asian exporters provided 83.2% of all international product sales from Asia during 2020.
| Rank | Asian Entity | 2020 Value (US$) | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $2,590,607,686,000 | +3.7% |
| 2 | Japan | $640,953,137,000 | -9.2% |
| 3 | Hong Kong | $551,515,756,000 | +3.0% |
| 4 | South Korea | $512,788,606,000 | -5.4% |
| 5 | Singapore | $373,909,153,000 | -4.2% |
| 6 | Taiwan | $346,633,936,000 | +5.2% |
| 7 | Vietnam | $281,441,457,000 | +6.4% |
| 8 | India | $275,488,745,000 | -14.8% |
| 9 | Malaysia | $233,553,703,000 | -1.9% |
| 10 | Thailand | $229,277,734,000 | -6.6% |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia | $176,507,506,000 | -29.9% |
| 12 | Turkey | $169,657,940,000 | -6.2% |
| 13 | Indonesia | $163,306,490,000 | -2.6% |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates | $151,238,040,000 | -52.1% |
| 15 | Philippines | $63,879,430,000 | -9.2% |
| 16 | Iraq | $63,272,537,000 | -30.6% |
| 17 | Qatar | $51,504,158,000 | -29.4% |
| 18 | Israel | $49,761,375,000 | -14.9% |
| 19 | Kazakhstan | $46,949,697,000 | -18.7% |
| 20 | Kuwait | $42,797,655,000 | -33.6% |
| 21 | Bangladesh | $41,981,675,000 | -10.7% |
| 22 | Oman | $31,793,890,000 | -24.1% |
| 23 | Pakistan | $22,237,163,000 | -6.6% |
| 24 | Cambodia | $17,716,469,000 | +19.5% |
| 25 | Myanmar | $16,929,247,000 | -6.5% |
| 26 | Azerbaijan | $13,740,568,000 | -30.0% |
| 27 | Uzbekistan | $13,127,295,000 | -8.5% |
| 28 | Iran | $11,776,171,000 | -61.7% |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | $10,706,858,000 | -10.6% |
| 30 | Jordan | $7,954,403,000 | -4.3% |
| 31 | Bahrain | $7,920,046,000 | -44.1% |
| 32 | Turkmenistan | $7,779,351,000 | -29.0% |
| 33 | Laos | $6,718,892,000 | +15.7% |
| 34 | Brunei Darussalam | $6,614,320,000 | -8.8% |
| 35 | Mongolia | $6,130,140,000 | -19.5% |
| 36 | Lebanon | $3,807,461,000 | +2.0% |
| 37 | Georgia | $2,554,547,000 | -5.4% |
| 38 | Armenia | $2,519,990,000 | -3.8% |
| 39 | Kyrgyzstan | $1,964,466,000 | -0.1% |
| 40 | Tajikistan | $1,311,879,000 | +17.6% |
| 41 | Afghanistan | $1,242,352,000 | +43.8% |
| 42 | Yemen | $1,232,745,000 | -21.7% |
| 43 | Macao | $1,024,582,000 | +0.1% |
| 44 | Nepal | $887,380,000 | -7.5% |
| 45 | Syrian Arab Republic | $823,025,000 | +12.2% |
| 46 | Maldives | $221,445,000 | +40.1% |
| 47 | Bhutan | $195,168,000 | -29.9% |
| 48 | North Korea | $156,867,000 | -66.9% |
| 49 | Palestine | $152,943,000 | -86.1% |
| 50 | Timor-Leste | $109,275,000 | -11.4% |
To sort, click the pertinent column heading in the above table.
Note: An entry of 0% in the column entitled “2019-20” means no data was available for 2019.
Among the 50 Asian exporting nations used for this study, 12 grew the value of their exports from 2019 to 2020.
Posting double-digit gains year over year were Afghanistan (up 43.8%), Maldives (up 40.1%), Cambodia (up 19.5%), Tajikistan (up 17.6%), Laos (up 15.7%) then Syria (up 12.2%).
Leading the annual decliners since 2019 were Palestine (down -86.1%), North Korea (down -66.9%) and Iran (down -61.7%).
Exports from Asia’s largest economy China racked up a respectable 3.7% gain year over year.
See also Mongolia’s Top 10 Exports, Japan’s Top Trading Partners, South Korea’s Top 10 Exports and China’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on July 12, 2021
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity)
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 12, 2021
Wikipedia, List of Asian countries by population. Accessed on July 12, 2021
WorldOMeter, Asia Population. Accessed on July 12, 2021
