What Tanzania sells and buys, and with whom
Tanzania exported US$12.0bn of goods in 2024 and imported US$17.9bn, a deficit of US$5.9bn. 30% of its exports went to other SADC countries, which supplied 5% of its imports.
Tanzania's trade since 2012
Exports and imports of goods, and exports to other SADC countries, US dollars
Who buys from Tanzania
Exports by destination, 2024. South Africa takes 19%.
What Tanzania sells, and to whom
Exports by product group and partner, 2024
Hover over a band or a name to follow it. Flows under 0.4% of the total (US$626m in all) are not drawn.
Tanzania's main exports
Top products (four-digit HS headings), 2024, with the value five years before
Trade with each SADC neighbour
2024, with the main products each way| Neighbour | Tanzania sold | Tanzania bought | Balance | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | US$2.3bn | US$552m | +US$1.7bn | Sold gold; bought trucks and vans · more |
| Zambia | US$519m | US$187m | +US$332m | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought mixed fertilisers · more |
| Malawi | US$326m | US$32m | +US$295m | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought soya cake · more |
| DRC | US$313m | US$6.8m | +US$307m | Sold natural magnesium carbonate; bought unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new… · more |
| Mozambique | US$65m | US$4.6m | +US$60m | Sold natural gas and lpg; bought sugar · more |
| Zimbabwe | US$37m | US$13m | +US$24m | Sold tobacco leaf; bought tobacco leaf · more |
| Eswatini | US$139k | US$43m | −US$43m | Sold trucks and vans; bought flavour and fragrance mixtures · more |
| Comoros | US$31m | US$24k | +US$31m | Sold waters, including natural or artificial mineral waters and…; bought ferrous waste and scrap · more |
| Mauritius | US$13m | US$9.2m | +US$3.7m | Sold natural gas and lpg; bought trailers · more |
| Madagascar | US$13m | US$5.0m | +US$8.4m | Sold carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials, ampoules and…; bought nitrogen fertilisers · more |
| Namibia | US$2.4m | US$5.6m | −US$3.2m | Sold cigarettes; bought beer · more |
| Angola | US$4.6m | US$124k | +US$4.4m | Sold petroleum jelly and waxes; bought cars · more |
| Botswana | US$802k | US$292k | +US$509k | Sold forklifts; bought footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or… · more |
| Seychelles | US$598k | US$286k | +US$312k | Sold malt, whether or not roasted; bought animal feed · more |
| Lesotho | US$98k | US$311k | −US$213k | Sold baths, shower-baths, sinks, wash-basins, bidets, lavatory…; bought footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or… · more |
How processed Tanzania's trade is
Exports and imports by stage of processing, 2024
Raw: unprocessed farm goods, ores, minerals, crude oil, coal and gas. Processed materials: refined metals and fuels, chemicals, processed farm goods for industry. Refined gold counts here. Manufactured goods: machinery, vehicles, parts, consumer goods and packaged food.
Analysis: Tanzania's value-addition balance and openings
For members: where Tanzania earns and spends at each stage of processing, with SADC and with the world; how much rides on a few products and buyers; what it is competitive in; which exports grew or shrank; where its exports meet preferential terms; and the products it could sell to neighbours, or buy from them instead of from outside the region.
The trade analysis for Tanzania is part of the Individual plan
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CEPII BACI, built from UN Comtrade with each flow reconciled between exporter and importer (Etalab Open Licence 2.0). Values in current US dollars; exports valued free on board. Figures can differ from national statistics, and include non-monetary gold. About the data