That dollar amount reflects an 81.6% increase since 2017 and a 36.2% acceleration from 2020 to 2021.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2021, the Tajikistani somoni depreciated by -32.3% against the US dollar since 2017 and declined by -9.6% from 2020 to 2021. Tajikistan’s weaker local currency makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.
Tajikistan’s most valuable exported products are unwrought gold, uncarded cotton, zinc ores and concentrates, lead ores and concentrates, unwrought aluminum, electrical energy, metalloid chemical antimony, mostly cotton yarn, copper ores and concentrates, then hydraulic cements.
Given Tajikistan’s population of 9.7 million people, its total $1.8 billion in 2021 exports translates to roughly $190 for every resident in the Central Asian country. That per-capita metric exceeds the average $140 for 2020.
Tajikistan’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Tajikistani global shipments during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Tajikistan.
- Gems, precious metals: US$665.9 million (37.3% of total exports)
- Ores, slag, ash: $343.9 million (19.2%)
- Cotton: $256.3 million (14.3%)
- Aluminum: $144.7 million (8.1%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $96.1 million (5.4%)
- Other base metals: $88.8 million (5%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $47.3 million (2.6%)
- Fruits, nuts: $29.2 million (1.6%)
- Iron, steel: $21.7 million (1.2%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $18.6 million (1%)
Tajikistan’s top 10 exports accounted for 95.9% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Miscellaneous base metals represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 174% from 2020 to 2021.
In second place for improving export sales was fruits and nuts which was rose 166.8%.
Tajikistan’s shipments of ores, slag and ash posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 117.3% year over year. That category was propelled by higher international sales of Tajikistani zinc, lead and copper ores or concentrates.
The lone decliner among Tajikistan’s top 10 export categories was salt, sulphur, stone and cement which fell -21.5%.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, gold (37% of total) represents Tajikistan’s most valuable exported product trailed by uncarded cotton (11.3%), zinc ores and concentrates (7.9%), lead ores and concentrates (7.6%), unwrought aluminum (also 7.6%), electrical energy (5.3%), metalloid chemical antimony (5%), mostly cotton yarn (2.9%), copper ores and concentrates (2.8%), then hydraulic cements (2.6%).
Products Creating Trading Surpluses for Tajikistan
The following types of Tajikistani 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.
- Gems, precious metals: US$660.7 million (Up by 11.2% since 2020)
- Ores, slag, ash: $341.7 million (Up by 117.3%)
- Cotton: $254.6 million (Up by 47.8%)
- Aluminum: $121.5 million (Down by -4.5%)
- Other base metals: $88.7 million (Up by 174.5%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $29.3 million (Down by -40.7%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $10.3 million (Up by 32%)
- Lead: $7.3 million (Reversing a -$1,000 deficit in 2020)
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $4 million (Up by 42.6%)
- Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $2.3 million (Down by -61.4%)
Tajikistan has highly positive net exports in the international trade of gold. In turn, these cashflows is a leading factor in Tajikistan’s strong competitive advantages under the gems and precious metals product category.
Products Causing Trading Deficits for Tajikistan
Overall, Tajikistan incurred a -$2.4 billion product trade deficit for 2021 up by 33% from -$1.8 billion in red ink one year earlier.
Below are exports from Tajikistan that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Tajikistan’s goods trail Tajikistani importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$630.5 million (Up by 33.7% since 2020)
- Machinery including computers: -$374.1 million (Up by 75.9%)
- Vehicles: -$351.8 million (Up by 66.6%)
- Cereals: -$291.1 million (Up by 10.6%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$273.1 million (Up by 125.6%)
- Iron, steel: -$239.5 million (Up by 3.5%)
- Wood: -$149.4 million (Up by 23.8%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$148 million (Up by 29.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$108 million (Up by 12.3%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: -$103.9 million (Up by 44.9%)
Tajikistan has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits particularly for refined petroleum oils and petroleum gas under the mineral fuels-related products category.
Tajikistan’s Export Companies
Not one Tajikistani corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Tajikistan. Selected examples are shown below.
- First MicroFinance Bank-Tajikistan (commercial bank)
- Somon Air (airliner)
- Tajik Aluminium Company (aluminum manufacturing)
Tajikistan’s Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 97.1% of products exported from Tajikistan were bought by importers in: Switzerland (29.9% of the global total), Kazakhstan (20.2%), Turkey (13%), mainland China (8.9%), Uzbekistan (7.1%), Belgium (5%), Afghanistan (4.6%), Russia (4.1%), Iran (2.2%), Pakistan (0.9%), British Virgin Islands (0.7%) and the United Arab Emirates (0.6%).
From a continental perspective, 58.3% of Tajikistan exports by value were delivered to Asian countries while 40.9% were sold to fellow European importers.
Tajikistan shipped smaller percentages to British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean (0.7%), United States of America (0.004%), and Egypt and Kenya in Africa (0.002%).
In macroeconomic terms, Tajikistan’s total exported goods represent 4.7% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2021 ($37.9 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 4.7% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2021 compares to 3.9% for 2020. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Tajikistan’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Tajikistan’s unemployment rate was 3.6% at March 2022, down from an average 7.5% for 2020 according to Trading Economics.
Tajikistan’s capital city is Dushanbe.
See also Kazakhstan’s Top 10 Exports, Turkey’s Top 10 Exports, Uzbekistan’s Top 10 Exports and Russia’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 7, 2022
International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (Domestic Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on April 7, 2022
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on April 7, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Category:Companies of Tajikistan. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Flag of Tajikistan. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on April 7, 2022
Wikipedia, Tajikistan. Accessed on April 7, 2022
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Accessed on April 7, 2022
