01Key Takeaways
- Senegal imported $11.88 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 1.5% from $12.06 billion in 2022, essentially flat, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led import categories at 29.7% ($3.53 billion), by far the largest single category.
- France supplied 12.1% of imports ($1.43 billion), by far the largest single partner.
- Nigeria ranked third among partners at 8.6% ($1.02 billion), and Russia followed closely at 7.0%.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $8.1B | $7.8B | $9.7B | $12.1B | $11.9B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | $1.4B | 12.1% |
| 2 | China | $1.3B | 10.9% |
| 3 | Nigeria | $1.0B | 8.6% |
| 4 | Russia | $828.4M | 7.0% |
| 5 | India | $797.8M | 6.7% |
| 6 | Belgium | $689.1M | 5.8% |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates | $615.6M | 5.2% |
| 8 | Netherlands | $338.2M | 2.8% |
| 9 | Spain | $298.3M | 2.5% |
| 10 | Turkey | $290.4M | 2.4% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $3.5B | 29.7% |
| 2 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $1.0B | 8.4% |
| 3 | Cereals | $946.8M | 8.0% |
| 4 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $739.6M | 6.2% |
| 5 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $647.1M | 5.4% |
| 6 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $444.3M | 3.7% |
| 7 | Pharmaceutical Products | $333.9M | 2.8% |
| 8 | Iron and Steel | $331.9M | 2.8% |
| 9 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $301.3M | 2.5% |
| 10 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $252.3M | 2.1% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Held Nearly Flat After Strong Growth
Senegal imported $11.88 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 1.5% from $12.06 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023.
Import value moved unevenly across those years, tracking a broadly similar pattern to the export side of Senegal's trade over the same period. It stood at $8.14 billion in 2019, eased to $7.81 billion in 2020, then climbed sharply to $9.70 billion in 2021 and $12.06 billion in 2022, the highest point in this five-year window. It then held nearly flat at $11.88 billion in 2023.
On the export side of trade for this country, value also peaked in 2022 before falling back in 2023. This dataset does not include information explaining either movement, but the timing lines up on both sides of Senegal's trade. Import value has grown far more over the full five-year window than export value has, rising from $8.14 billion in 2019 to $11.88 billion in 2023, a much larger increase in dollar terms than the export side saw over the same stretch.
Fuel Makes Up Nearly a Third of All Imports
Mineral fuels and related products led every import category in 2023. They were worth $3.53 billion, or 29.7% of the total, far ahead of every other category. Senegal's Dakar refinery runs mainly on crude oil imported from Nigeria, and roughly 60% of Senegal's imported refined fuels have come from Russia in recent years. That pattern is consistent with fuel's dominant position on this list and with both countries' presence among Senegal's top import suppliers, covered below. Machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances followed at 8.4% ($1.00 billion), and cereals contributed 8.0% ($0.95 billion).
Vehicles added 6.2% ($0.74 billion), and electrical machinery and equipment contributed 5.4% ($0.65 billion). Iron or steel articles added 3.7% ($0.44 billion), and pharmaceutical products contributed 2.8% ($0.33 billion). Iron and steel added 2.8% ($0.33 billion), and plastics contributed 2.5% ($0.30 billion). Cereal preparations closed out the top ten at 2.1% ($0.25 billion).
Cereals and cereal preparations together point to a country importing significant food staples, alongside the fuel, vehicles and machinery it needs to keep its economy running. That mix is common among countries that produce raw materials for export but rely on imports for both energy and many finished and food products. Unlike the export side of trade for this country, where fuel and precious metals lead a list built mostly around a handful of resource categories, this import list spreads more evenly across energy, food, vehicles, machinery and industrial materials.
France Remains Senegal's Top Import Source
France supplied 12.1% of Senegal's imports in 2023, worth $1.43 billion, by far the largest single partner. China ranked second at 10.9% ($1.29 billion), and Nigeria followed at 8.6% ($1.02 billion). Together, the top three suppliers made up 31.5% of total import value.
Russia contributed 7.0% ($0.83 billion), and India added 6.7% ($0.80 billion). Belgium contributed 5.8% ($0.69 billion), and United Arab Emirates added 5.2% ($0.62 billion). Netherlands contributed 2.8% ($0.34 billion), and Spain added 2.5% ($0.30 billion). Turkey closed out the top ten at 2.4% ($0.29 billion).
France's position at the top of this list reflects Senegal's long trading relationship with its former colonial ruler, a link that continues to show up clearly in this dataset's most recent confirmed year, even as China closes in on France's share from second place. Nigeria and Russia sitting third and fourth, both tied closely to fuel supply, describes a country balancing a historic European trading partner against newer suppliers of the energy it needs to keep running.
This import partner list looks noticeably more varied than the export side of trade for this country, where Mali alone absorbed close to a quarter of the total. On the import side, no single country comes close to that kind of dominance, and the top ten span Europe, Africa and Asia in roughly comparable shares.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an economy importing a broad mix of fuel, food and manufactured goods from a geographically wide set of suppliers, led by France but without any single overwhelming source. That pattern contrasts with the far more concentrated export side of Senegal's trade, where one landlocked neighbor alone accounts for close to a quarter of everything sold abroad.