That dollar metric results from an 86.2% increase compared to Ivory Coast’s $15.4 billion in exported goods five-years earlier during 2021.
Year over year, Ivory Coast’s exports accelerated by 39.5% from $20.5 billion starting in 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, Ivory Coast uses the West African CFA franc which appreciated by 4.4% against the US dollar since 2021 but declined by -4.5% from 2024 to 2025. Ivory Coast’s weaker local currency compared to 2024 makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers starting with American currency.
Ivory Coast’s biggest top 5 most valuable exports are cocoa beans, unwrought gold, natural rubber, cashews and coconuts then crude oil. Collectively, those top 5 goods represent nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of the total value for all Ivory Coast’s exports. That percentage suggests a concentrated portfolio of exported products.
Ivory Coast’s Key Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 70.1% of products exported from the Ivory Coast was bought by importers in: Switzerland (14.9% of the African country’s total), Netherlands (12.6%), Mali (5.8%), United States of America (5.3%), France (5.2%), Vietnam (5.1%), Belgium (4.5%), Germany (4%), mainland China (3.7%), Spain (3.3%), United Kingdom (2.91%) and Italy (2.89%).
From a continental perspective, 55.2% of Ivory Coast’s exports by value was delivered to European countries while 18.3% was sold to importers also in Asia.
Ivory Coast shipped another 16.2% worth of goods to buyers in Africa.
Smaller percentages went to customers located in North America (8%), Latin America (2.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.
Given Ivory Coast’s population of 33 million people, its total US$28.6 billion in 2025 exports translates to about $850 for every resident in the West African country. That dollar amount outpaces the average $650 per capita one year earlier during 2024.
Ivory Coast’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Ivoirian global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Ivory Coast.
- Cocoa: US$11.5 billion (40.1% of total exports)
- Gems, precious metals: $4.7 billion (16.4%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $3.65 billion (12.8%)
- Rubber, rubber articles: $3.3 billion (11.4%)
- Fruits, nuts: $2.3 billion (8%)
- Perfumes, cosmetics: $359.3 million (1.3%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $302.3 million (1.1%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $292 million (1%)
- Cotton: $207.1 million (0.7%)
- Miscellaneous food preparations: $182.7 million (0.6%)
Ivory Coast’s top 10 exports accounted for 93.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Cocoa represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 60% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was the fruits and nuts product category via a 51.9% advance, led by cashews and coconuts.
Ivory Coast’s shipments of gems and precious metals posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 49.5%.
The leading decliner among Ivory Coast’s top 10 export categories was cotton, pulled down by a -29.7% year-over-year drop.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, the Ivory Coast’s most valuable export products are cocoa beans (23.3% of the African country’s total) trailed by unwrought gold (16.4%), natural rubber (11.4%), cashews and coconuts (7%), crude oil (6.2%), cocoa paste (6.1%), processed petroleum oils (6%), cocoa butter, fat and oil (5%), cocoa waste including shells and husks (3.8%), then cocoa preparations including chocolate (1.5%).
Products Generating Ivory Coast’s Best Trade Surpluses
Ivory Coast enjoyed an estimated US$9.2 billion trade surplus for 2025, expanding by 180.4% from $3.3 billion in black ink for one year earlier in 2024.
The following types of Ivoirian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Cocoa: US$11.4 billion (Up by 59.6% since 2024)
- Gems, precious metals: $4.7 billion (Up by 49.5%)
- Rubber, rubber articles: $3.1 billion (Up by 33.3%)
- Fruits, nuts: $2.3 billion (Up by 52.9%)
- Animal or vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $253.9 million (Down by -20.8%)
- Perfumes, cosmetics: $223.3 million (Up by 35.7%)
- Cotton: $171 million (Down by -34.9%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $147.3 million (Up by 19.3%)
- Wood: $99.7 million (Up by 14.5%)
- Miscellaneous food preparations: $73.3 million (Down by -25.1%)
Ivory Coast has highly positive net exports in the international trade of cocoa. In turn, these cashflows indicate Ivory Coast’s strong competitive advantages under the cocoa product category.
Products Causing Ivory Coast’s Largest Trade Deficits
Below are exports from Ivory Coast that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Ivory Coast’s goods trail Ivoirian importer spending on foreign products.
- Machinery including computers: -US$1.8 billion (Up by 24.4% since 2024)
- Cereals: -$1.43 billion (Up by 14.1%)
- Vehicles: -$1.43 billion (Up by 34.4%)
- Fish: -$1 billion (Up by 17.9%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$821.2 million (Up by 28.5%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: -$701.6 million (Down by -55.2%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$591.2 million (Up by 13.5%)
- Iron, steel: -$531.1 million (Up by 58.6%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$470.4 million (Up by 5.7%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$454.6 million (Down by -2.9%)
Ivory Coast faced negative net exports and therefore international trade deficits under the machinery including computers product category.
Ivory Coast’s Export Companies
Not one Ivoirian corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Ivory Coast. Selected examples are shown below.
- Abidjan Transport Company (transportation infrastructure)
- Autonomous Port of Abidjan (commercial seaport)
- Ivoirienne de Transports Aériens (cargo airliner)
In macroeconomic terms, Ivory Coast’s total exported goods represent 10.7% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($266.8 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 10.7% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 8.4% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Ivory Coast’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Statistics from Trading Economics put Ivory Coast’s unemployment rate averaged 2.3% for 2025, equal to the average 2.3% jobless rate in 2024.
Ivory Coast’s capital city is Yamoussoukro, which is also home to the world’s highest domed church.
See also South Africa’s Top 10 Exports, Ghana’s Top 10 Exports, Angola’s Top 10 Exports and Nigeria’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
EXCHANGE-RATES.org CFA BCEAO Franc (XOF) To US Dollar (USD), Exchange Rate History. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 4, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on August 4, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Wikipedia, Ivory Coast. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Ivory Coast. Accessed on August 4, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on August 4, 2026