Food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Food exports was 14.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1974–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 14.5% for food exports in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.0% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 28.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 2007.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 16th out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 27.8% | — |
| 1975 | 28.0% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 27.3% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 27.1% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 26.3% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 23.3% | -11.2% |
| 1981 | 18.5% | -20.9% |
| 1996 | 19.0% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 19.5% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 20.0% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 19.8% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 16.7% | -16.0% |
| 2001 | 17.1% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 13.8% | -18.6% |
| 2007 | 11.6% | -16.2% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 14.2% | +19.5% |
| 2010 | 13.3% | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 12.9% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 12.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | +15.2% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 12.8% | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | +5.4% |
| 2024 | 14.5% | +8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.6% | 23.3% | 28.0% | 6 |
| 1980s | 18.5% | 18.5% | 18.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 19.0% | 20.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 14.8% | 11.6% | 17.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 11.7% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 12.8% | 14.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 13 Faroe Islands 88.0% compare
- 14 Cape Verde 86.4% compare
- 15 Seychelles 85.9% compare
- 16 Vanuatu 85.3% compare
- 17 Antigua and Barbuda 84.7% compare
- 18 Ethiopia 80.4% compare
- 19 Panama 73.6% compare
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 499.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.25 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 367.94 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2201 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 378.07 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Food exports in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 14.5% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food exports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 28.0% in 1975.
- What is the lowest food exports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 2007.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for food exports?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 16th out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is food exports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.