Chad: Economic and Political Overview
Foreign trade figures of Chad
Foreign Trade in Figures
The country is relatively open to foreign trade, which accounts for 91% of GDP (World Bank, latest available). Chad has adopted the common external tariffs of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the Community of Sahel and Sahara States (CEN-SAD). It has also been a member of the WTO since 1996. Despite free trade between CEMAC countries, trade within the area is low due to non-tariff barriers, and frequent border closures hinder trade. According to data by OEC, in 2022, the country mainly exported crude petroleum (USD 3.33B), gold (USD 876M), other oily seeds (USD 106M), insect resins (USD 30.6M), and raw cotton (USD 29.6M), whereas imports were led by vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins, and cultures (USD 71.2M), jewellery (USD 63.6M), electric generating sets (USD 61.4M), broadcasting equipment (USD 52M), and packaged medicaments (USD 47.5M).
In terms of exports, the main partners in 2022 were Germany (USD 1.1B), China (USD 933M), the United Arab Emirates (USD 883M), Chinese Taipei (USD 512M), and France (USD 419M); with imports coming chiefly from China (USD 281M), the United Arab Emirates (USD 226M), France (USD 82.3M), United States (USD 78.9M), and Belgium (USD 75.3M – data OEC).
The trade balance is heavily dependent on oil, which accounts for around three-quarters of exports. According to the WTO, imports of goods amounted to USD 2.1 billion in 2022, while exports reached USD 3.5, supported by higher oil prices. The country is a net service importer (USD 3 billion in imports in 2022, vs. USD 271 million in exports). As per the World Bank, the country’s trade balance was estimated to be positive by 11.6% of GDP in 2022 (from a deficit of 5.5% one year earlier).
| Foreign Trade Values | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Imports of Goods (million USD) | 1,971 | 1,924 | 1,537 | 1,927 | 2,100 |
| Exports of Goods (million USD) | 2,670 | 2,588 | 1,713 | 2,694 | 3,500 |
| Imports of Services (million USD) | 1,670 | 1,752 | 1,865 | 2,054 | 3,090 |
| Exports of Services (million USD) | 308 | 305 | 213 | 223 | 271 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Indicators | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 74.2 | 74.6 | 68.7 | 83.0 | 90.8 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 1.4 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 2.0 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 4.6 | 6.0 | 1.1 | -0.4 | 5.0 |
| Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 38.0 | 37.8 | 42.0 | 44.2 | 39.6 |
| Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 36.2 | 36.7 | 26.7 | 38.8 | 51.2 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
| Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2023 | 2024 (e) | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) | 2027 (e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 8.9 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 0.6 | 6.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
- International Economic Cooperation
- Chad is a member of the main regional economic communities: the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), the Economic Community of Central African states (ECCAS) and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). Chad has been a member of WTO since 1996.
To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows.
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Latest Update: April 2024
