Angola Import Trade Data: $15.57B in 2023, Down 11.2%

Angola's Top Import Sources in 2023

Angola imported $15.57 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks a decline of 11.2% from the $17.53 billion recorded in 2022. China was the largest source of Angola's imports, supplying 16.1% of the total, worth $2.51 billion.

Portugal ranked second at 11.3% ($1.75 billion), ahead of India at 6.9% ($1.08 billion) and the United Arab Emirates at 6.4% ($1.00 billion). The United States took fifth place at 5.8% ($907.66 million), followed by Togo at 4.9% ($755.75 million) and South Korea at 4.3% ($668.39 million). The United Kingdom supplied 4.0% ($630.24 million), while Brazil and Netherlands rounded out the top ten at 3.8% ($588.89 million) and 3.4% ($532.75 million). Together, the top three sources made up 34.3% of total import value.

Angola's top ten import sources are relatively evenly spread compared with some of the more heavily concentrated partner rankings elsewhere in this dataset, with the leading partner supplying just over a sixth of the total and every other partner in the top ten holding a share in the single digits. Portugal's strong showing reflects longstanding historical and commercial ties, while the presence of the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Brazil points to a supplier base that spans the Middle East, East Asia, and South America alongside Angola's more traditional European and Chinese trading relationships. That broader spread means no single disruption outside of China would likely move the overall import total by more than a modest amount. The gap between the top three and the rest of the list is also far less pronounced than in many other partner rankings, with the fourth through tenth partners each still contributing a meaningful share rather than trailing off sharply, which suggests Angola's import relationships are built on a reasonably diversified set of established suppliers rather than one or two dominant ones.

Leading Import Categories

Mineral fuels, mineral oils, and related distillation products led all import categories in 2023, worth $3.38 billion and accounting for 21.7% of total import value. Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances followed closely at 17.4%, worth $2.71 billion, and vehicles and related parts and accessories ranked third at 8.7% ($1.36 billion).

Electrical machinery and equipment added 6.5% ($1.02 billion), while iron or steel articles contributed 5.1% ($795.80 million). Cereals brought in 4.0% ($621.16 million), and optical, photographic, and medical instruments added 2.9% ($459.00 million). Plastics and related articles contributed 2.9% ($449.38 million), meat and edible meat offal added 2.9% ($445.20 million), and pharmaceutical products closed out the top ten at 2.3% ($351.71 million).

The presence of mineral fuels at the top of the import list alongside machinery, vehicles, and electrical equipment points to substantial demand for refined fuel products and capital goods supporting industrial and infrastructure activity. The appearance of cereals and meat among the top ten categories also signals a meaningful food import component. For exporters targeting Angola, the spread across fuel, machinery, vehicles, and food products suggests opportunities across several distinct sectors rather than a market concentrated around one narrow niche, though the top two categories alone still account for close to two-fifths of total import value. Beyond the top three, the remaining categories are fairly closely spaced, each holding between roughly 2% and 5% of the total, meaning small shifts in demand could plausibly reorder several of them in a future update without changing the overall shape of the ranking.

A Pullback After a Sharp 2022 Increase

The five-year trend shows imports swinging significantly from year to year. Imports moved from $13.97 billion in 2019 to $9.22 billion in 2020, recovered to $11.51 billion in 2021, then jumped to $17.53 billion in 2022 before falling 11.2% to $15.57 billion in 2023. Even with that decline, the 2023 total remains above every year except 2022, suggesting the prior year's sharp increase was not fully sustained into the following year, though it also remains well above the 2020 and 2021 levels.

This pattern is consistent with the World Bank's WITS trade summary for Angola, which confirms China's leading role among Angola's import sources alongside the broader import totals recorded for 2023. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.