Xifres de comerç exterior de Costa d'Ivori

Foreign Trade in Figures

The Ivory Coast is the hub of commercial activities in West Africa. The share of foreign trade in the country's GDP is 53% (World Bank, latest available data). Exports are mainly composed of primary products, including industrial and export-oriented agricultural goods (37.8% of total exports) and extractive products (17.2%), along with manufactured goods (22.3%) and semi-processed products (19.6%). Specifically, exports are dominated by cocoa (both processed and unprocessed, accounting for 31.6% of total sales), petroleum products and crude oil (14.8%), gold (12.8%), natural rubber (11.2%), and cashew nuts (6.8%). The largest category of imports consists of intermediate goods (31.5% of total imports), followed by non-food consumer goods (26.5%), capital goods (20%), and food products (17.2%). Specifically, the main imported products are petroleum products and crude oil (25.5%), machinery (10.8%), transport equipment (9.5%), and cereals (5.3% - data French Ministry of Economy for 2023).

The Ivory Coast is a member of the UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union), which enforces a Common External Tariff (CET). It also belongs to the Free Trade Zone. In 2008, the Ivory Coast signed a stepping stone economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). This agreement entered into provisional application on 3 September 2016 and essentially aims at maintaining the preferential trade system that exists between the EU and the Ivory Coast (Nigeria is the only country in the region that has is yet to sign the EPA, which is why the agreement is not yet applied). It will be replaced by the regional EU-West Africa EPA. Ivory Coast is also a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Data from the French Ministry of Economy show that, after losing the top spot in 2022, the Netherlands regained its position as Ivory Coast's largest export partner in 2023, with its share rising significantly to 11.5% (up from 8.7% in 2022). Switzerland ranked second, also seeing an increase in its share to 10.6% (from 8.1% in 2022). Mali followed with a share of 8.7%, while Malaysia and Vietnam each hold 5%. China remained Ivory Coast's largest supplier (since 2016), with a 14.8% market share in 2023, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. Nigeria followed with a 14% share (up from 12.1% in 2022). France, India, and the United States completed the top five, with respective shares of 5.6%, 5.2%, and 3.9%.

According to the WTO, Colombia exported USD 20.2 billion worth of goods while it imported USD 18.8 billion in 2023 (+23.3% and +18.5% y-o-y, respectively). The increase in exports was mainly driven by higher sales of processed cocoa, gold, and cashew nuts. Including services, the World Bank estimated the trade deficit at 4.8% of GDP (from 7.6% one year earlier). Preliminary government figures show that, in the last quarter of 2024, the Customs Directorate achieved 96.5% of its annual target, with customs revenue amounting to XOF 2,728.67 billion, reflecting a growth rate of 9.56% compared to the previous year. For 2025, the target set is XOF 3,325 billion.