That dollar amount reflects a 16.8% increase compared to $557.1 billion five years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the total value of products exported from Africa slowed to a 0.8% gain compared to $645.5 billion for 2024.
Shifting our focus to global benchmarks, worldwide exports from all countries equaled $25.64 trillion in 2025. Africa’s exports represent an estimated 2.5% share of total world exports in 2025, mirroring the same 2.5% one year earlier.
Worldwide exports from all countries increased at a slower pace (15.6%) than Africa over the 5-year period starting in 2021. However, year over year the world’s exports rose 7.2% which outpaced the 0.8% upturn for African exports.
In 2025, the 5 biggest African exporting nations are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria. Collectively, that powerful cohort of African shippers generated almost half (48.5%) of the continent’s overall exports by value. That percentage reveals a dilution in concentration compared to the 49.1% portion one year earlier in 2025.
Given Africa’s growing population of about 1.549 billion people in 2025, the continent’s total US$650.8 billion worth exported goods translates to roughly $420 per African resident. That dollar metric exceeds the average $392 per capita one year earlier during 2024.
Top African Export Countries
Below are the top African export countries that achieved the highest dollar value in global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage change in value from 2024 to 2025.
| Rank | Exporter | Exports (US$) | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | South Africa | 116,693,066,000 | +5.7% |
| 2. | Nigeria | 52,717,142,000 | -2% |
| 3. | Egypt | 51,391,290,000 | +14.6% |
| 4. | Morocco | 50,312,811,000 | +9.6% |
| 5. | Algeria | 44,422,750,000 | -14.3% |
| 6. | Democratic Republic Congo | 40,415,672,000 | +8.1% |
| 7. | Angola | 30,839,606,000 | -21.4% |
| 8. | Libya | 30,130,927,000 | -7.3% |
| 9. | Ivory Coast | 28,598,325,000 | +39.5% |
| 10. | Ghana | 22,317,464,000 | +8.5% |
| 11. | Tunisia | 21,820,171,000 | +9.5% |
| 12. | Guinea | 14,973,746,000 | -29% |
| 13. | Zambia | 13,328,687,000 | +18.2% |
| 14. | Burkina Faso | 11,070,059,000 | +96.1% |
| 15. | Mozambique | 10,101,311,000 | +23% |
| 16. | Zimbabwe | 9,706,268,000 | +30.2% |
| 17. | Tanzania | 9,072,424,000 | +4.3% |
| 18. | Congo | 7,978,530,000 | +8.4% |
| 19. | Senegal | 7,274,535,000 | +15.3% |
| 20. | Gabon | 7,199,753,000 | -11.9% |
| 21. | Cameroon | 6,765,852,000 | +26.1% |
| 22. | Namibia | 6,540,185,000 | +0.2% |
| 23. | Kenya | 6,397,427,000 | -22.5% |
| 24. | Ethiopia | 5,239,603,000 | +17% |
| 25. | Uganda | 4,714,957,000 | -41.4% |
| 26. | Mauritania | 4,499,253,000 | +8.4% |
| 27. | Botswana | 3,410,275,000 | -13% |
| 28. | Togo | 3,235,539,000 | +136.8% |
| 29. | Equatorial Guinea | 3,154,076,000 | -32.5% |
| 30. | Sudan | 2,931,875,000 | -44.4% |
| 31. | Niger | 2,833,133,000 | +181.1% |
| 32. | Chad | 2,818,742,000 | -43% |
| 33. | Madagascar | 2,481,009,000 | -3% |
| 34. | Rwanda | 2,221,176,000 | -27% |
| 35. | Eswatini | 2,060,899,000 | -14.2% |
| 36. | Sierra Leone | 1,830,460,000 | +13.8% |
| 37. | Mauritius | 1,646,495,000 | -6.1% |
| 38. | Malawi | 913,791,000 | -4.7% |
| 39. | Benin | 827,145,000 | -26.9% |
| 40. | Eritrea | 810,813,000 | +13% |
| 41. | Mali | 781,364,000 | -89.8% |
| 42. | Lesotho | 769,033,000 | -23.5% |
| 43. | South Sudan | 634,561,000 | +27.9% |
| 44. | Seychelles | 587,005,000 | -1.3% |
| 45. | Liberia | 469,096,000 | +111.1% |
| 46. | Somalia | 417,785,000 | -62.6% |
| 47. | Guinea-Bissau | 281,437,000 | +32% |
| 48. | Djibouti | 271,160,000 | +1.8% |
| 49. | Central African Republic | 234,167,000 | +14.5% |
| 50. | Gambia | 227,050,000 | +357.4% |
| 51. | Cabo Verde | 112,575,000 | +65% |
| 52. | Burundi | 86,522,000 | -53.1% |
| 53. | Comoros | 75,558,000 | +443.3% |
| 54. | Sao Tome/Principe | 38,501,000 | +51.9% |
| 55. | Saint Helena | 27,767,000 | -17.1% |
| 56. | French Southern/Antarctic Terr | 23,822,000 | +28.3% |
| 57. | British Indian Ocean Territory | 16,281,000 | +4.5% |
| 58. | Western Sahara | 6,631,000 | +59.5% |
The top 10 African exporters approached three-quarters (71.9%) of all international sales for goods shipped from Africa during 2025.
From 2024 to 2025, 34 out of 58 export countries or territories in Africa posted increased revenues from their exports.
The fastest-gaining African exporters were Comoros (up 443.3%), Gambia (up 357.4%), Niger (up 181.1%), Togo (up 136.8%) then Liberia (up 111.1%).
Leading the year-over-year decliners were exporters in Mali (down -89.8% from 2021), Somalia (down -62.6%), Burundi (down -53.1%), Sudan (down -44.4%) then Chad (down -43%).
See also South Africa’s Top 10 Exports, Nigeria’s Top 10 Exports, Egypt’s Top 10 Exports, Algeria’s Top 10 Exports and Morocco’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, Gross Domestic Product on a Purchasing Power Parity basis. Accessed on May 21, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 21, 2026
Wikipedia, List of African countries by population. Accessed on May 21, 2026