India's border trade with its six neighbouring countries - Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar - accounted for a little over $12 billion, which was just 1.56 per cent of India's total global trade of $769 billion in fiscal year 2017-18.
India carries out its border trade with the farther neighbour Afghanistan via Pakistan, according to a report published in The Financial Express of India.
Nepal topped the list of countries in terms of India's border trade with its neighbours, leaving more populous countries Pakistan and Bangladesh behind.
As per the latest official data given in parliament, India's total bilateral trade with Nepal in the last fiscal year (FY '18) was $6.82 billion. The trade with Nepal was highly skewed in India's favour.
India exported goods worth $6.38 billion to Nepal and its import from the Himalayan country was $437 million.
Bangladesh, which is 10 times bigger than Nepal in terms of size of economy and over five times bigger in terms of population, is second in terms of India's bilateral border trade.
Bangladesh imported goods and services worth $4.13 billion in the fiscal year. Like Nepal, this bilateral trade is also highly skewed in India's favour as India's exported goods and services worth $3.61 billion to Bangladesh and its imports accounted for just $517 million.
Surprisingly, much smaller Bhutan was way ahead of Pakistan in terms of India's border trade with neighbours.
India's total border trade with Bhutan stood at $728 million. Its exports to the north-eastern neighbour stood at $526 million and imports at $202 million.
India shares over 3,300 kilometers long border with Pakistan and it has granted Pakistan the status of most favoured nation for trade and commerce.
Despite that India's bilateral trade with the country through land route is less than half a billion dollar.
Surprisingly, India's bilateral trade with Pakistan is not heavily skewed in its favour unlike Nepal and Bangladesh.
India exported goods and services worth $263 million to Pakistan and imported goods and services worth $235 million, taking the bilateral trade figure to $498 million.
India's bilateral border trade with Pakistan is just 7.0 per cent of its bilateral border trade with Nepal. And it is just 12 per cent of India's bilateral border trade with Bangladesh.
And India's total border trade with Pakistan is just two third of India's total border trade with Bhutan, a country which has a population of just 0.8 million and economy of $2.54 billion as against Pakistan's population of 210 million people and GDP of $304 billion.
Ostensibly, border hostilities between India and Pakistan have taken a heavy toll on potentials of trade and commerce between these two nuclear armed neighbours, which have fought four wars since independence.
India's border trade with China stood at $3.16 million, Myanmar $0.02 million, and Afghanistan $307.06 million.
This data is exclusive of India's trade with neighbouring countries carried out through sea routes, air cargo complexes and special economic zones.
