01Key Takeaways
- Seychelles exported $548.10 million worth of goods in 2023, down 9.4% from $605.30 million in 2022, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Meat, fish and crustaceans preparations led export categories at 46.2% ($253.14 million), by far the largest single category.
- The United Arab Emirates took 35.9% of exports ($196.83 million), the largest single destination.
- France ranked second among partners at 23.1% ($126.38 million), consistent with canned tuna shipments to European markets.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $824.1M | $961.1M | $633.9M | $605.3M | $548.1M |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | $196.8M | 35.9% |
| 2 | France | $126.4M | 23.1% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | $55.1M | 10.1% |
| 4 | Italy | $40.7M | 7.4% |
| 5 | Singapore | $38.1M | 6.9% |
| 6 | Germany | $27.8M | 5.1% |
| 7 | Côte d’Ivoire | $7.8M | 1.4% |
| 8 | Hong Kong SAR China | $6.8M | 1.2% |
| 9 | Spain | $5.8M | 1.1% |
| 10 | Netherlands | $5.7M | 1.0% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preparations of Meat, of Fish or of Crustaceans, Molluscs or other Aquatic Invertebrates | $253.1M | 46.2% |
| 2 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $194.0M | 35.4% |
| 3 | Iron and Steel | $39.0M | 7.1% |
| 4 | Fish and Crustaceans, Molluscs and other Aquatic Invertebrates | $29.6M | 5.4% |
| 5 | Residues and Waste from the Food Industries; Prepared Animal Fodder | $7.5M | 1.4% |
| 6 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $4.2M | 0.8% |
| 7 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $3.7M | 0.7% |
| 8 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $2.6M | 0.5% |
| 9 | Aircraft, Spacecraft and parts thereof | $2.5M | 0.5% |
| 10 | Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring, Checking, Precision, Medical or Surgical Instruments and Apparatus; Parts and Accessories thereof | $2.2M | 0.4% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Has Declined for Three Straight Years
Seychelles exported $548.10 million worth of goods in 2023, down 9.4% from $605.30 million 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.
Export value peaked early in this window. It stood at $824.08 million in 2019, then rose further to $961.13 million in 2020, the highest point in this five-year window. It then fell for three straight years, to $633.87 million in 2021, $605.30 million in 2022, and $548.10 million in 2023.
This dataset does not include information explaining what drove either the 2020 peak or the sustained decline that followed. Export value in 2023 stands well below every other year in this dataset, describing a steady multi-year contraction rather than a single-year dip. That decline has now stretched across three consecutive years, from the 2020 high down to the 2023 figure, a pattern distinct from countries in this series where export value swings up and down from one year to the next without a sustained direction.
Processed Fish and Fuel Dominate a Narrow Export List
Meat, fish and crustaceans preparations led every export category in 2023. They were worth $253.14 million, or 46.2% of the total, by far the largest single category. Indian Ocean Tuna Ltd, a canned tuna producer based in Victoria, accounts for 95% of Seychelles' manufacturing exports and ships almost its entire output to the EU, mainly France and Italy, and to the UK. That pattern is consistent with processed fish leading this category and with France, Italy and the UK all ranking among Seychelles' top export destinations, covered below. Mineral fuels followed closely at 35.4% ($193.99 million).
Iron and steel added 7.1% ($38.98 million), and fish and crustaceans in less processed form contributed 5.4% ($29.63 million). Food industry residues and prepared animal fodder added 1.4% ($7.48 million). The remaining categories were each worth less than 1% of the total. Machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances added 0.8% ($4.20 million), and animal or vegetable fats and oils contributed 0.7% ($3.73 million). Beverages added 0.5% ($2.55 million), and aircraft and spacecraft parts contributed a nearly identical 0.5% ($2.54 million). Optical and measuring instruments closed out the top ten at 0.4% ($2.18 million).
Together, processed fish and mineral fuels make up more than four-fifths of Seychelles' export value, leaving very little room for anything else. Seychelles has no domestic oil production, and this dataset does not specify where the mineral fuels category originates, though the country is known to re-export surplus imported fuel as bunker supply for ships and aircraft calling at Port Victoria. Every other category on this list is worth a small fraction of either processed fish or fuel, describing an export economy resting on two pillars rather than a broad spread of products.
The UAE and France Lead an Export List Split Between Two Products
United Arab Emirates was Seychelles' largest export destination in 2023, absorbing 35.9% of the total, worth $196.83 million. France ranked second at 23.1% ($126.38 million), and the United Kingdom followed at 10.1% ($55.12 million). Together, these top three destinations alone made up 69.0% of total export value, a level of concentration in just three markets that leaves the remaining seven destinations on this list dividing a comparatively small share among them.
Italy contributed 7.4% ($40.71 million), and Singapore added 6.9% ($38.09 million). Germany contributed 5.1% ($27.77 million), and Côte d’Ivoire added 1.4% ($7.84 million). Hong Kong SAR China contributed 1.2% ($6.78 million), and Spain added 1.1% ($5.79 million). The Netherlands closed out the top ten at 1.0% ($5.71 million).
The UAE's 35.9% share here is close in size to the 35.4% share mineral fuels holds among export categories, though this dataset does not confirm that these two figures describe the same shipments. France, Italy and the UK together, all closely tied to canned tuna exports, cover a large share of the remainder, consistent with the citation above describing the EU as the destination for almost all of Indian Ocean Tuna's output.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes a small export economy split largely between processed fish shipped mainly to Europe and fuel-related trade with the UAE, leaving little room for any other category or destination to register at scale. That structure, two products and three destinations covering nearly seven in ten export dollars, describes an unusually concentrated trade profile even among the smaller economies covered in this series.