Manufacturing, Value Added
Manufacturing, Value Added by country
Commentary
Notable countries
Taiwan leads the ranking with manufacturing value added equal to 34.96% of GDP, followed by Ireland at 29.56% and Eswatini at 29.12%. At the other end, Micronesia is lowest at 0.51%, with Sao Tome and Principe at 0.62% and the Bahamas at 0.63%. A notable surprise is Haiti placing sixth globally at 26.23%, while several small island economies cluster near the bottom.
Regional trends
Asia has the highest continental average at 14.39% of GDP and also dominates the top 10, including Taiwan, Cambodia, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. South America and Europe are close to each other, at 12.25% and 12.22% respectively, both above the global mean of 11.54. Africa averages 10.6% but shows wide variation, with Eswatini and Equatorial Guinea in the global top 10 and Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe near the bottom. North America is lower at 9.655%, while Oceania has the weakest regional average at 4.948% and includes several of the lowest-ranked countries.
Data source
Source: World Bank, 2019-2024; unit: manufacturing value added as a share of GDP (%). The dataset covers 178 countries. Values reflect manufacturing’s share in national output, so they indicate economic structure rather than the absolute size of manufacturing industries.
Interpretation
Higher values mean manufacturing makes up a larger share of a country’s economy, which is favorable under this metric. Lower values indicate economies that are less manufacturing-intensive and may rely more on services, tourism, natural resources, or other sectors. The spread is large, from 0.51% to 34.96%, showing very different economic structures across countries. A strong manufacturing share can signal industrial depth, but it is only one dimension of economic performance.