Africa’s exports represent an estimated 2.6% of total world exports in 2018.
Based on statistics from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Database, the total Gross Domestic Product for Africa calculated on a Purchase Power Parity (PPP) basis amounted to roughly $6.813 trillion in 2018. Therefore, exports account for about 7.3% of Africa’s total economic output.
Given Africa’s population of about 1.264 billion people, the total $497.3 billion in 2018 exported goods originating from continental Africa translates to roughly $400 per African resident.
Top African Export Countries
Below are the top African export countries that achieved the highest dollar value in global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage change in value since 2014 plus each country’s percentage share of the continent’s total exports.
| Rank | Exporter | 2018 Exports | %Total | 2014-8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | South Africa | $94,421,532,000 | 19% | +2% |
| 2. | Nigeria | $52,913,529,000 | 10.6% | -46.7% |
| 3. | Angola | $42,021,981,000 | 8.5% | -28.4% |
| 4. | Algeria | $41,617,938,000 | 8.4% | -31.1% |
| 5. | Libya | $30,679,893,000 | 6.2% | +46.9% |
| 6. | Egypt | $29,383,962,000 | 5.91% | +9.6% |
| 7. | Morocco | $29,330,296,000 | 5.9% | +23.2% |
| 8. | Ghana | $17,099,588,000 | 3.4% | no 2014 data |
| 9. | Tunisia | $15,993,870,000 | 3.2% | -4.6% |
| 10. | Ivory Coast | $11,823,035,000 | 2.4% | -8.9% |
| 11. | Congo | $11,071,336,000 | 2.23% | +69% |
| 12. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $11,068,915,000 | 2.23% | +33% |
| 13. | Zambia | $9,052,165,000 | 1.8% | -6.6% |
| 14. | Namibia | $7,488,296,000 | 1.5% | +25.1% |
| 15. | Botswana | $6,573,001,000 | 1.32% | -17% |
| 16. | Equatorial Guinea | $6,481,571,000 | 1.3% | -50.2% |
| 17. | Gabon | $6,429,027,000 | 1.29% | -40.1% |
| 18. | Guinea | $6,203,405,000 | 1.25% | +218.7% |
| 19. | Kenya | $6,050,421,000 | 1.22% | -1% |
| 20. | Mozambique | $5,160,904,000 | 1.0% | +9.2% |
| 21. | Cameroon | $4,540,772,000 | 0.9% | -12% |
| 22. | Zimbabwe | $4,037,203,000 | 0.81% | +31.8% |
| 23. | Sudan | $4,035,762,000 | 0.81% | no 2014 data |
| 24. | Tanzania | $3,795,725,000 | 0.76% | -33.5% |
| 25. | Senegal | $3,623,445,000 | 0.73% | +31.8% |
| 26. | Burkina Faso | $3,285,825,000 | 0.66% | +26.1% |
| 27. | Uganda | $3,087,274,000 | 0.62% | +36.5% |
| 28. | Madagascar | $2,998,622,000 | 0.6% | +33.7% |
| 29. | Mali | $2,896,812,000 | 0.58% | no 2014 data |
| 30. | Ethiopia | $2,561,584,000 | 0.52% | -14% |
| 31. | Togo | $2,538,331,000 | 0.51% | +215.8% |
| 32. | Mauritania | $2,184,093,000 | 0.44% | +2.1% |
| 33. | Mauritius | $1,963,917,000 | 0.39% | -26.3% |
| 34. | Eswatini | $1,945,938,000 | 0.39% | +3.3% |
| 35. | Chad | $1,667,228,000 | 0.34% | -47.5% |
| 36. | South Sudan | $1,661,729,000 | 0.33% | -62.4% |
| 37. | Liberia | $1,427,625,000 | 0.29% | no 2014 data |
| 38. | Lesotho | $1,276,360,000 | 0.26% | +56% |
| 39. | Malawi | $1,018,197,000 | 0.2% | -28.3% |
| 40. | Rwanda | $1,004,433,000 | 0.2% | +53.7% |
| 41. | Benin | $937,626,000 | 0.19% | -3.2% |
| 42. | Seychelles | $864,348,000 | 0.17% | +56.8% |
| 43. | Sierra Leone | $709,320,000 | 0.14% | +154% |
| 44. | Niger | $584,476,000 | 0.12% | -44.3% |
| 45. | Eritrea | $515,867,000 | 0.1% | -11.7% |
| 46. | Somalia | $339,881,000 | 0.07% | -47.2% |
| 47. | Burundi | $212,938,000 | 0.04% | +50.5% |
| 48. | Djibouti | $153,288,000 | 0.031% | -0.9% |
| 49. | Guinea-Bissau | $150,056,000 | 0.03% | no 2014 data |
| 50. | Central African Republic | $114,797,000 | 0.023% | +454.2% |
| 51. | Comoros | $101,832,000 | 0.020% | +66.7% |
| 52. | Cabo Verde | $75,271,000 | 0.015% | -78.9% |
| 53. | Saint Helena | $33,655,000 | 0.007% | +40.3% |
| 54. | French Southern/Antarctic Terr. | $26,716,000 | 0.005% | +7.5% |
| 55. | Sao Tome/Principe | $12,087,000 | 0.0024% | +15.1% |
| 56. | British Indian Ocean Territory | $9,813,000 | 0.0020% | -70.9% |
| 57. | Gambia | $9,091,000 | 0.0018% | -91.3% |
| 58. | Western Sahara | $723,000 | 0.0001% | -83.9% |
The top 10 African exporters provided almost three-quarters (73.5%) of all international product sales shipped from Africa during 2018.
Twenty-seven export countries in Africa increased the value of their exports from 2014 to 2018 led by: Central African Republic (up 454.2%), Guinea (up 218.7%), Togo (up 215.8%), Sierra Leone (up 143%), Guinea (up 154%), Congo (up 69%) then Comoros (up 66.7%).
Leading the decliners were: Gambia (down -91.3%), Western Sahara (down -83.9%), Cabo Verde (down -78.9%), British Indian Ocean Territory (down -70.9%), South Sudan (down -62.4%), Equatorial Guinea (down -50.2%) then Chad (down -47.5%).
See also South Africa’s Top 10 Exports and Nigeria’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, Population statistics by country. Accessed on August 16, 2019
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on August 16, 2019
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 16, 2019
Wikipedia, List of African countries by population. Accessed on August 16, 2019
