Xifres de comerç exterior de Senegal

Foreign Trade in Figures

Senegal is an open economy where foreign trade accounts for 63% of its GDP (World Bank's latest available data). According to Comtrade, in 2021, the country’s main exports were gold (18.7%), petroleum oils (14.9%), diphosphorus pentaoxide (9.2%), frozen fish (5.7%) and groundnuts (5.4%). Meanwhile, main imports include petroleum oils (22.3%), rice (4.9%) and medicaments (3.2%).

The country's main export destinations in 2021 were Mali, Switzerland, India, China, and Ivory Coast; while it imported mostly from France, China, India, Russia and Nigeria (Comtrade). Senegal is a member of the Economic Community of West African States, and the country has trade agreements with several countries, including the EU, the United States, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, and Australia. Given its growing influence in the African continent, China has become an increasingly important partner of Senegal, illustrated by the China-Africa summits and the boom of Senegalese exports to China. Senegal's trade policies are designed to help reduce the trade deficit, ensure regular supplies to the domestic market, promote local value chains, strengthen the regional integration process and access to international markets and promote competition. Under the Emerging Senegal Plan, the government seeks to deepen regional integration by further developing the infrastructure network; eliminating barriers to the free movement of persons, goods, and services; and developing intra-community trade.

Senegalese foreign trade is characterized by a structural current account deficit, which historically represents more than 10% of GDP. However, future offshore oil production will help narrow the deficit in the medium term. The trade deficit (of goods) for 2021 amounted to USD 4.5 billion (WTO data). In 2021, imports of goods increased to USD 9.7 billion while exports of goods increased to USD 5.2 billion (WTO). The country imported services for the total value of USD 3 billion while its services exports amounted to USD 1.1 billion (WTO).