Ivory Coast’s Top 10 Ex

Officially the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast is a West African nation that exported an estimated US$11.8 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2018. That dollar amount reflects an -8.9% decline since 2014 and a -5.9% dip from 2017 to 2018.

The latest data shows that about two-thirds (67.9%) of products exported from Ivory Coast were bought by importers in: Netherlands (11.5% of the global total), United States (9.1%), Vietnam (6.8%), Germany (6.3%), France (5.4%), Burkina Faso (5.2%), Mali (4.8%), India (4.4%), Malaysia (3.9%), Belgium (3.7%), Switzerland (3.6%) and Ghana (3%).

From a continental perspective, 40.6% of Ivoirian exports by value were delivered to European countries while 24.5% were sold to African importers. Ivory Coast shipped another 21.7% worth of goods to Asian nations with 12.2% going to North America. Smaller percentages went to Latin America (0.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.

Given Ivory Coast’s population of 26.3 million people, its total $11.8 billion in 2019 exports translates to roughly $450 for every resident in the West African country.

In macroeconomic terms, Ivory Coast’s total exported goods represent 11.1% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2018 ($107 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 11.1% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2018 compares to 16% for 2014, seeming to indicate a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Ivory Coast’s total economic performance. And while this article focuses on exported goods, it is interesting to note that Ivory Coast also provided $1 billion worth of exports-related services to global customers for an additional 1% of GDP in PPP.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Estimates from Trading Economics put Ivory Coast’s unemployment rate at 2.6% at March 2019.

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The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Ivoirian global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Ivory Coast.

1. Cocoa: US$4.6 billion (38.7% of total exports)

2. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.9 billion (15.9%)

3. Fruits, nuts: $1.4 billion (11.7%)

4. Gems, precious metals: $801 million (6.8%)

5. Rubber, rubber articles: $755.2 million (6.4%)

6. Cotton: $313.6 million (2.7%)

7. Perfumes, cosmetics: $247.8 million (2.1%)

8. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $218.9 million (1.9%)

9. Plastics, plastic articles: $152.2 million (1.3%)

10. Coffee, tea, spices: $138.2 million (1.2%)