Egypt and Morocco lead Africa’s trade deficit with a combined $50.8 billion

Key takeaways

  • Egypt and Morocco dominate Africa’s trade deficit, with a combined shortfall of $50.8 billion dollars, which surpasses the total deficit of the other eight countries on the list
  • North African economies — Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia — account for more than half of the total trade deficit across the top 10
  • East African economies also feature prominently, with Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania making up a significant share of the deficit
  • Smaller economies like Rwanda and Uganda post notable deficits, though on a much smaller scale than their North and East African counterparts

Africa’s trade deficit is largely driven by two countries, Egypt and Morocco, whose combined $50.8 [billion shortfall] exceeds the total trade deficit of the next eight largest contributors. The presence of East African economies like Tanzania and Kenya suggests that multiple regions on the continent struggle with import dependency.

Source:

World Bank

Period:

2023
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  • US imports from Africa jumped 24% to $23.4 billion in H1 2025 despite tariffs.
  • Egypt led gains, doubling its surplus with the US to $2.73 billion.
  • Nigeria swung into a $576 million surplus, reversing last year’s deficit.
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46 African countries get more than 60% of their export earnings from raw goods, with South Sudan leading with 99.5%
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  • South Sudan leads the list with 99.5%.
  • Nigeria’s commodity export dependence is 96.3%, dominated by energy (89.7%), followed by agriculture (4.0%) and mining (2.6%).
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Only 8 African countries get less than 60% of their export earnings from raw goods, with Tunisia leading at 21.5%
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  • Algeria, Morocco, Eswatini, Lesotho, Djibouti, Mauritius, Comoros, and Egypt stand out with less than 60%.
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Ghana’s exports
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  • Petroleum oils follow distantly at ¢52.6B (17.8%).

  • Cocoa (beans, paste, butter) remains a vital sector, collectively worth ¢24.7B (8.4%).

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  • All other products still make up a significant 14.4% (¢42.4B), showing potential for export diversification.

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