That dollar amount reflects a 30.7% increase compared to $506.1 billion five years earlier in 2018.
Year over year, products exported from Africa attracted 19% more compared to $506.1 billion for 2021.
Shifting our focus to global benchmarks, worldwide exports from all countries equaled $24.487 trillion in 2022. Africa’s exports represent an estimated 2.7% share of total world exports in 2022 up from 2.4% one year earlier.
Worldwide exports from all countries increased at a slower pace (26.7%) than Africa over the 5-year period starting in 2018. Year over year, global exports gained 10.6% which was outpaced by the 19% expansion in African exports.
In 2022, the 5 biggest African exporting nations are South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Angola and Egypt. Collectively, that powerful cohort of African shippers generated over half (53.4%) of the continent’s overall exports by value. That percentage reflects an dilution in concentration compared to the 55.7% portion one year earlier in 2022.
Given Africa’s population of about 1.2 billion people in 2022, the continent’s total $661.4 billion worth exported goods translates to roughly $550 per African resident. That dollar metric exceeds the average $365 per capita one year earlier during 2021.
Top African Export Countries
Below are the top African export countries that achieved the highest dollar value in global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage change in value from 2021 to 2022.
| Rank | African Entity | Value (US$) | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $123,614,816,000 | -0.1% |
| 2 | Algeria | $66,736,178,000 | +72.2% |
| 3 | Nigeria | $63,338,596,000 | +33.1% |
| 4 | Angola | $51,268,600,000 | +51.9% |
| 5 | Egypt | $48,148,651,000 | +18.3% |
| 6 | Morocco | $42,331,463,000 | +15.7% |
| 7 | Libya | $39,505,511,000 | +19.6% |
| 8 | Democratic Rep. Congo | $29,518,054,000 | +32.2% |
| 9 | Tunisia | $19,876,070,000 | +21% |
| 10 | Ivory Coast | $16,395,306,000 | +6.8% |
| 11 | Ghana | $16,259,084,000 | +5.4% |
| 12 | Zambia | $11,689,732,000 | +4.2% |
| 13 | Congo | $11,110,216,000 | +370.3% |
| 14 | Equatorial Guinea | $10,107,198,000 | +93.7% |
| 15 | Gabon | $9,012,255,000 | +11.9% |
| 16 | Guinea | $8,606,447,000 | -15.7% |
| 17 | Botswana | $8,277,084,000 | +11.5% |
| 18 | Mozambique | $8,199,019,000 | +60.4% |
| 19 | Kenya | $7,390,793,000 | +9.6% |
| 20 | Cameroon | $7,258,630,000 | +68.1% |
| 21 | Tanzania | $6,824,846,000 | +6.8% |
| 22 | Namibia | $6,004,803,000 | +34.6% |
| 23 | Senegal | $5,725,131,000 | +27.6% |
| 24 | Burkina Faso | $4,548,742,000 | -10.2% |
| 25 | Chad | $3,857,417,000 | +29% |
| 26 | Mauritania | $3,778,019,000 | +15.6% |
| 27 | Madagascar | $3,509,026,000 | +29.1% |
| 28 | Sudan | $3,164,500,000 | -41.8% |
| 29 | Ethiopia | $3,083,778,000 | +0.9% |
| 30 | Uganda | $2,989,780,000 | -24.6% |
| 31 | Zimbabwe | $2,814,022,000 | -53.4% |
| 32 | Eswatini | $2,383,669,000 | +15.2% |
| 33 | Mali | $2,034,251,000 | -78.4% |
| 34 | Rwanda | $1,435,898,000 | -8.1% |
| 35 | Mauritius | $1,379,960,000 | -18.1% |
| 36 | Togo | $1,351,193,000 | +26.4% |
| 37 | Sierra Leone | $1,302,569,000 | +24.5% |
| 38 | Malawi | $940,876,000 | -7.7% |
| 39 | Lesotho | $917,187,000 | -6.2% |
| 40 | Benin | $832,937,000 | -18.8% |
| 41 | Djibouti | $603,615,000 | +56.9% |
| 42 | Seychelles | $575,471,000 | +41.3% |
| 43 | Eritrea | $574,908,000 | -14.3% |
| 44 | South Sudan | $448,093,000 | -12% |
| 45 | Niger | $446,135,000 | -29.5% |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | $221,977,000 | +10.7% |
| 47 | Liberia | $202,889,000 | +18.2% |
| 48 | Burundi | $188,869,000 | +66.9% |
| 49 | Gambia | $183,626,000 | +595.5% |
| 50 | Somalia | $123,781,000 | -75.9% |
| 51 | Central African Rep | $117,824,000 | +103.1% |
| 52 | Comoros | $62,365,000 | +78.2% |
| 53 | Cabo Verde | $42,149,000 | -7.1% |
| 54 | Saint Helena | $41,983,000 | +3.6% |
| 55 | French South/Antarctic Terr | $23,841,000 | +19.3% |
| 56 | Sao Tome/Principe | $22,589,000 | +17.8% |
| 57 | Br. Indian Ocean Terr | $6,131,000 | +49.3% |
| 58 | Western Sahara | $491,000 | -92.7% |
The top 10 African exporters surpassed three-quarters (75.7%) of all international sales for goods shipped from Africa during 2022.
From 2021 to 2022, a majority of (40) export countries or territories in Africa increased the value of their exports.
The fastest-gaining African exporters were Gambia (up 595.5% from 2021), Congo (up 370.3%), Central African Republic (up 103.1%), Equatorial Guinea (up 93.7%), Comoros (up 78.2%), Algeria (up 72.2%) then Cameroon (up 68.1%).
Leading the 18 year-over-year decliners were Western Sahara (down -92.7% from 2021), Mali (down -78.4%), Somalia (down -75.9%), Zimbabwe (down -53.4%), Sudan (down -41.8%) then Niger (down -29.5%).
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:
Central Intelligence Agency, Population statistics by country. Accessed on July 26, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 26, 2023
World Population Review, Countries in Africa. Accessed on July 26, 2023
