Marshall Islands: Trade Profile

Foreign Trade in Figures

The Marshall Islands is very open to foreign trade, which accounts for 116% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). Custom duties are relatively low, and the country has very few trade barriers. However, the Marshall Islands has very limited natural resources and consequently little base for exports. In 2021 (latest data available - International Trade Centre), the country mainly exported ships (90%); fish (5.8%); mineral fuels (1.5%); and electrical machinery (1.3%); whereas imports were led by ships (56.7%); mineral fuels (25.8%); machinery (11.4%); and iron and steel (3%).

According to the latest data by ITC, in 2021, the main destinations for the country’s exports were Denmark (33.6%), South Korea (20.1%), Germany (14.7%), Poland (9.2%), and Cyprus (3.7%); while the main countries for imports were Singapore (25.2%), South Korea (24.3%), China (22.4%), Japan (8.5%), and Cyprus (2.1%). Overall, the country lacks adequate infrastructure and airline transportation and is fairly far from the developed economies of the region (e.g. Japan, Australia, etc.). Trade policy is conducted by the COFA Agreement under which the country has duty-free access to the U.S. market, and is also a member of the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and the South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SPARTECA).

The country imports in high volumes, while its exports are very weak, resulting in an enormous trade deficit. According to figures from ITC, in 2021 the Marshall Islands exported USD 1.4 billion worth of goods (up by 85% year-on-year), whereas imports decreased by 5% (to USD 14.2 billion). Data from the World Bank show that the country's external trade deficit stood at 23.1% of GDP in 2021, down from 37.4% one year earlier.

Foreign Trade Indicators	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Imports of Goods (million USD)	75	68	74	81	94
Exports of Goods (million USD)	41	55	44	90	93
Imports of Services (million USD)	66	67	47	40	43
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change)	2	36	-29	-8	n/a
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change)	6	12	-5	23	n/a
Trade Balance (million USD)	-33	14	10	-12	n/a
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP)	129	152	108	116	n/a
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP)	89	115	73	70	n/a
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP)	40	37	36	47	n/a

Source: WTO – World Trade Organisation ; World Bank - Latest available data.

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Main Services

0.0 bn USD of services exported in 2021
Government servicesGovernment services	92.54%
TransportationTransportation	6.44%
Computer and information servicesComputer and information services	1.02%

0.1 bn USD of services imported in 2021
TransportationTransportation	42.40%
Other business servicesOther business services	34.03%
TravelTravel +	13.68%
Personal travelPersonal travel	13.39%
Business travelBusiness travel	0.29%
Government servicesGovernment services	9.63%
Insurance servicesInsurance services	0.26%

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Latest Available Data

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Trade Compliance

International Economic Cooperation: Member of Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
Useful Resources
National Organisation of Intellectual Property: Website of the Ministry of Culture and Internal Affairs - Contact Information

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