Charted: Top Destinations for Africa’s Exports (1995-2020)
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Charted: Top Destinations for Africa’s Exports (1995-2020)

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A sankey chart showing the top destinations for 25 years of Africa’s exports.

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Charted: Top Destinations for Africa’s Exports (1995-2020)

Just under 30 years ago, exports originating from countries in Africa sat at $106 billion annually, primarily going to nations in the West. By 2020, Africa’s exports had more than tripled, but now with Asia as the primary destination.

The world’s second-largest continent, much of the value of Africa’s exports are concentrated in natural resources like petroleum, gold, diamonds, natural gas, and coal. Agricultural commodities like tea, coffee, and cotton also find large markets overseas.

Which countries are the top destinations for Africa’s exports?

This graphic from Sebastian Gräff uses data from Harvard University’s Atlas of Economic Complexity, the World Bank, and Bloomberg to track total exports from African countries over the years. Countries receiving a 1% or greater share of total exports have been included, and percentages have been rounded.

Tracking Africa’s Exports Between 1995 and 2005

The U.S. was the top destination for African goods for many years, led by the country’s demand for petroleum products. At its peak in 2005, the U.S. received one-fifth of the continent’s exports, valued at $55 billion.

Here’s a look at all the countries that had a 1% or greater share of Africa’s total export value at some point from 1995 to 2005.

CountryRegion199520002005
🇺🇸 U.S.North America14%18%20%
🇮🇹 ItalyEurope11%9%8%
🇫🇷 FranceEurope11%8%7%
🇩🇪 GermanyEurope8%7%5%
🇪🇸 SpainEurope6%7%7%
🇬🇧 UKEurope5%6%5%
🇧🇪 BelgiumEurope5%3%3%
🇯🇵 JapanAsia4%3%3%
🇳🇱 NetherlandsEurope3%3%3%
🇰🇷 South KoreaAsia2%2%1%
🇮🇳 IndiaAsia2%2%1%
🇵🇹 PortugalEurope2%1%1%
🇨🇳 ChinaAsia1%3%6%
🇧🇷 BrazilSouth America1%2%2%
🇹🇷 TurkiyeAsia1%2%2%
🇨🇦 CanadaNorth America1%1%2%
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandEurope1%1%1%
🇿🇼 ZimbabweAfrica1%1%1%
🇹🇼 TaiwanAsia1%2%1%
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaAsia1%1%1%
🇿🇦 South AfricaAfrica1%0%1%
🇨🇮 Côte d'IvoireAfrica1%1%1%
🇭🇰 Hong KongAsia1%0%0%
🇦🇹 AustriaEurope1%0%0%
🇬🇷 GreeceEurope1%1%0%
🇹🇭 ThailandAsia1%0%0%
🇸🇬 SingaporeAsia1%0%0%
🇲🇿 MozambiqueAfrica1%1%0%
🇹🇳 TunisiaAfrica1%0%0%
🇮🇩 IndonesiaAsia1%1%0%
🇳🇬 NigeriaAfrica0%0%1%
🇦🇺 AustraliaOceania0%0%1%
🇧🇼 BotswanaAfricaN/A1%1%
🇳🇦 NamibiaAfricaN/A1%1%
🇸🇿 EswatiniAfricaN/A1%0%
🇿🇲 ZambiaAfricaN/A1%0%
ℹ️ Data note: Due to percentages and rounding, several countries register at 0% despite importing African goods worth several hundred millions of dollars. Furthermore, an N/A denotes either missing or no data for that country in that time period.

Western European countries—Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the UK—also accounted for a significant share of Africa’s exports throughout this time period. Part of this was due to century-old relationships and colonial legacies, but trade was also encouraged by initiatives like the 1976 Lomé Convention, which gave products from developing African countries (particularly former colonies) duty-free access to European markets in exchange for developmental aid.

During the mid-2000s, China also started to take up a growing share of the continent’s exports, as its rapid industrialization led to skyrocketing demand for commodities such as oil, iron ore, and copper—all key African exports.

Asia’s Growing Export Share Between 2010 and 2020

By the year 2010, as African exports topped the $481 billion per year mark, the global market was rapidly starting to change.

For starters, thanks to a considerable increase in domestic oil and natural gas production, the United States began cutting back on African petroleum imports.

At the same time, China had been actively seeking resources and investment opportunities in the developing world as part of its greater geopolitical strategy. By 2015, it had surpassed the U.S. as Africa’s primary export destination, marking a shift in the continent’s trade dynamics.

Here’s a look at all the countries with a 1% or greater share of Africa’s total export value from 2010 to 2020.

CountryRegion201020152020
🇺🇸 U.S.North America15%5%5%
🇨🇳 ChinaAsia11%12%15%
🇮🇹 ItalyEurope8%5%4%
🇪🇸 SpainEurope6%6%6%
🇫🇷 FranceEurope6%6%5%
🇮🇳 IndiaAsia5%7%6%
🇩🇪 GermanyEurope4%4%5%
🇬🇧 UKEurope4%4%3%
🇳🇱 NetherlandsEurope3%3%3%
🇯🇵 JapanAsia2%2%2%
🇧🇪 BelgiumEurope2%2%2%
🇿🇦 South AfricaAfrica2%2%2%
🇧🇷 BrazilSouth America2%2%1%
🇨🇦 CanadaNorth America2%1%1%
🇦🇪 UAEAsia1%3%6%
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandEurope1%2%3%
🇹🇷 TurkiyeAsia1%1%2%
🇵🇹 PortugalEurope1%1%1%
🇰🇷 South KoreaAsia1%1%1%
🇧🇼 BotswanaAfrica1%1%1%
🇳🇦 NamibiaAfrica1%1%1%
🇿🇲 ZambiaAfrica1%1%1%
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaAsia1%1%1%
🇬🇷 GreeceEurope1%0%1%
🇦🇺 AustraliaOceania1%0%1%
🇿🇼 ZimbabweAfrica1%1%1%
🇲🇾 MalaysiaAsia1%1%1%
🇨🇩 DRCAfrica1%1%1%
🇹🇼 TaiwanAsia1%1%0%
🇳🇬 NigeriaAfrica1%1%0%
🇨🇮 Côte d'IvoireAfrica1%1%0%
🇮🇩 IndonesiaAsia0%1%1%
🇲🇿 MozambiqueAfrica0%1%1%
🇭🇰 Hong KongAsia0%1%1%
🇸🇬 SingaporeAsia0%0%1%
🇹🇭 ThailandAsia0%0%1%
🇻🇳 VietnamAsia0%0%1%
🇷🇺 RussiaEurope0%0%1%
🇵🇰 PakistanAsia0%0%1%
🇵🇱 PolandEurope0%0%1%
🇺🇬 UgandaAsia0%0%1%

China was joined in the top three ranks by India and the UAE, who were also experiencing rapid industrialization and growing demand for African commodities. In 2020, nearly 40% of Africa’s exports found a market in Asia, led by China and India’s significant trade volumes.

In comparison, Western Europe had started relinquish both its share and value of African goods imported. Alongside growing demand from developing countries, there became greater diversification in African export markets, with countries from Asia (Malaysia, Pakistan), Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia), and within Africa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda), accounting for growing shares of African exports.

The Future of the African Export Market

Though Africa’s largest export markets are outside the continent for now, there is vast untapped potential for inter-regional exports, which stood at only 15% of total export value in 2020.

There is movement to expand on this trade, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) established in 2018 to reduce trade barriers between African countries. According to UN estimates, it has the potential to create a $3 trillion market within the continent alone.

With one of the fastest-growing regional populations, the African continent’s economic stakes have never been higher. So who will end up dominating Africa’s trade landscape in the decades to come?

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China

U.S. vs. China: Mapping Trade Dominance in Africa (2003-2023)

As of 2023, 52 out of the 54 African countries trade more with China than with the U.S., compared to just 18 countries in 2003.

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Two maps comparing African trade with the U.S. vs China in 2003 vs 2023

Trade With Africa: China vs. U.S.

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

China has steadily expanded its global trade footprint and now surpasses the U.S. as the leading trading partner in many regions around the world.

In Africa, for instance, China overtook the U.S. as the continent’s top trading partner back in 2009—a position it continues to hold today.

This graphic visualizes whether each African country trades with the U.S. or China more in 2003 versus 2023.

Data comes from the Observatory of Economic Complexity and UN Comtrade via the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2023 or the latest data available was used.

African Countries Are Choosing China over the States

Below, we show which country (U.S. or China) each African country traded with more in 2003 versus 2023.

CountryTrades more with? (2003)Trades more with? (2023)
🇩🇿 Algeria🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇦🇴 Angola🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇧🇯 Benin🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇧🇼 Botswana🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇧🇮 Burundi🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇨🇲 Cameroon🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇨🇻 Cape Verde🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇨🇫 Central African Republic🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇹🇩 Chad🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇰🇲 Comoros🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇩🇯 Djibouti🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇪🇬 Egypt🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇪🇷 Eritrea🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇸🇿 Eswatini🇨🇳 China🇺🇸 United States
🇪🇹 Ethiopia🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇬🇦 Gabon🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇬🇲 The Gambia🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇬🇭 Ghana🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇬🇳 Guinea🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇰🇪 Kenya🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇱🇸 Lesotho🇺🇸 United States🇺🇸 United States
🇱🇷 Liberia🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇱🇾 Libya🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇲🇬 Madagascar🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇼 Malawi🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇱 Mali🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇷 Mauritania🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇺 Mauritius🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇦 Morocco🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇲🇿 Mozambique🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇳🇦 Namibia🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇳🇪 Niger🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇳🇬 Nigeria🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇷🇼 Rwanda🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇸🇳 Senegal🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇸🇨 Seychelles🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇸🇴 Somalia🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇿🇦 South Africa🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇸🇸 South Sudan🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇸🇩 Sudan🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇹🇿 Tanzania🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇹🇬 Togo🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇹🇳 Tunisia🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇺🇬 Uganda🇺🇸 United States🇨🇳 China
🇿🇲 Zambia🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe🇨🇳 China🇨🇳 China

In 2003, China was the preferred trading partner over the U.S. for 18 African countries or 35% of the continent.

Fast forward 20 years, 52 out of the 54 African countries (97%) trade more with China than with the U.S. as of 2023.

China-Africa trade climbed to $295 billion in 2024, marking a 6% year-on-year increase.

Beyond trade, China has also increased its foreign direct investment (FDI) into the continent, with annual FDI flows rising from about $75 million in 2003 to nearly $4 billion in 2023, focusing on sectors like agriculture, light manufacturing, and services.

China has proactively sought to improve China-Africa relations through major initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which are designed to boost trade by investing in infrastructure, streamlining trade processes, and strengthening African value chains.

However, China has also faced criticism for alleged “debt-trap diplomacy,” a practice in which it is accused of providing loans to countries that may struggle to repay them, including many of Africa’s poorest countries.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about China’s trade relations, check out this graphic that visualizes the country’s exports by region from 2000 to 2022.

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