A country is considered to be commodity export dependent when more than 60 per cent of its total merchandise exports are composed of commodities. Given that commodity dependence can have a negative impact on a country’s economic development, it is important to monitor the evolution of such dependence in countries throughout the world.
In particular, detailed statistics on commodity dependence provide an invaluable tool for a comprehensive analysis of its causes and consequences and contribute to the policy debate about measures necessary to address it in the short and long terms.
The State of Commodity Dependence report is published every two years. This 2021 edition contains statistical profiles for the 195 member States of UNCTAD, comprising over 30 indicators aimed at describing the extent of each economy’s import and export commodity dependence between 2008–2009 and 2018–2019, as well as key structural and socioeconomic variables related to the commodity dependence phenomenon, such as gross domestic product growth, per capita gross domestic product, the Human Development Index (HDI) and value added by economic sector, among others.
This edition of the report includes a set of indicators on technology for each economy, reflecting the research discussed in Commodities and Development Report 2021: Escaping from the Commodity Dependence Trap Through Technology and Innovation.
The analytical chapter, chapter 1, discusses some developments in the decade since the launch of this report series and, in particular, aims to characterize the state of commodity dependence worldwide and its evolution between 2008–2009 and 2018–2019.
Chapter 2 provides the individual statistical profiles for the 195 member States of UNCTAD.
Map of the state of commodity dependence