01Key Takeaways
- Tanzania exported $7.27 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 6.6% from $6.82 billion in 2022, a fifth consecutive year of growth and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Precious stones and metals led every export category at 43.2% ($3.14 billion), more than the next nine categories combined.
- India was Tanzania's largest export partner, taking 21.4% of exports, worth $1.55 billion.
- The top three export partners together accounted for 46.2% of total export value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $5.0B | $6.1B | $6.4B | $6.8B | $7.3B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | $1.6B | 21.4% |
| 2 | South Africa | $1.1B | 15.4% |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | $686.4M | 9.4% |
| 4 | Switzerland | $465.9M | 6.4% |
| 5 | China | $427.9M | 5.9% |
| 6 | Congo - Kinshasa | $312.8M | 4.3% |
| 7 | Uganda | $311.2M | 4.3% |
| 8 | Belgium | $206.7M | 2.8% |
| 9 | Rwanda | $188.1M | 2.6% |
| 10 | Kenya | $176.5M | 2.4% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $3.1B | 43.2% |
| 2 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $391.5M | 5.4% |
| 3 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $378.4M | 5.2% |
| 4 | Edible Vegetables and certain Roots and Tubers | $318.7M | 4.4% |
| 5 | Coffee, Tea, Mate and Spices | $293.8M | 4.0% |
| 6 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $285.0M | 3.9% |
| 7 | Edible Fruit and Nuts; Peel of Citrus Fruit or Melons | $260.1M | 3.6% |
| 8 | Ores, Slag and Ash | $230.9M | 3.2% |
| 9 | Cereals | $173.5M | 2.4% |
| 10 | Fish and Crustaceans, Molluscs and other Aquatic Invertebrates | $164.0M | 2.3% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Climbed for a Fifth Straight Year in 2023
Tanzania exported $7.27 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 6.6% from $6.82 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, tracking this East African economy.
Export value stood at $5.00 billion in 2019, the low point of this five-year window. It rose to $6.08 billion in 2020, then continued climbing to $6.39 billion in 2021 and $6.82 billion in 2022, before reaching $7.27 billion in 2023, the high point of this five-year window.
This dataset does not explain what drove this steady climb. Export value in 2023 nonetheless rose in every single year of this five-year window, an unbroken run rather than an isolated spike. A gain of 6.6% extends that uninterrupted climb rather than marking a new or isolated surge. Export value has now grown by nearly half over the course of this five-year window, measured against its 2019 starting level.
Gold Dominates an Export List Anchored in Agriculture and Minerals
Precious stones and metals led every export category in 2023, worth $3.14 billion, or 43.2% of the total, more than the next nine categories on this list combined. Gold has strengthened its position as Tanzania's leading export commodity, though the country's increasing dependence on a single mineral exposes it to future market shocks. That dominance is reflected in precious stones and metals accounting for well over four in ten dollars of total export value here. Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits ranked a distant second at 5.4%, worth $391.49 million. Every other category on this list, from tobacco to fish, trails gold by a wide margin.
Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes contributed 5.2%, worth $378.44 million, and vegetables added 4.4%, worth $318.71 million. Coffee, tea and spices contributed a further 4.0%, worth $293.75 million. These middle-ranked categories reflect Tanzania's longstanding agricultural export base, distinct from the mineral wealth topping this list.
Mineral fuels added 3.9% ($285.00 million), and fruit and nuts contributed 3.6% ($260.09 million). Ores, slag and ash added 3.2%, worth $230.94 million. Cereals contributed 2.4% ($173.52 million), and fish and crustaceans closed out the top ten at 2.3%, worth $164.01 million, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. A long tail of agricultural staples fills out the rest of this list, well behind the dominant precious-metals category. These ten categories together span mining, agriculture and fisheries, reflecting an economy still rooted in primary commodities even as gold has come to dominate the total.
India and South Africa Lead a Concentrated Partner List
India was Tanzania's largest export partner in 2023, taking 21.4% of exports, worth $1.55 billion. South Africa ranked second at 15.4%, worth $1.12 billion. United Arab Emirates followed at 9.4%, worth $686.44 million. Together, these top three partners accounted for 46.2% of total export value, a notably concentrated grouping. That level of concentration is common among smaller export economies where a handful of destinations and a single commodity dominate total trade.
Switzerland contributed 6.4% ($465.88 million), and China added 5.9% ($427.89 million). Switzerland and the UAE together point to established gold-refining and trading centers among the top buyers of Tanzanian exports. Congo - Kinshasa followed at 4.3% ($312.81 million), essentially tied with Uganda at 4.3% ($311.17 million).
Belgium contributed 2.8% ($206.74 million). Rwanda added 2.6%, worth $188.08 million, and Kenya closed out the top ten at 2.4% ($176.52 million), the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo together underscore Tanzania's role as a trading hub for its East African neighbors. This list spans South Asia, southern and East Africa, and Europe, a mix reflecting both gold-trading hubs and regional neighbors. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly four percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the wide gaps separating the top three.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an export profile transformed by a single category, precious stones and metals, alongside a longstanding base of agricultural staples. That profile is sourced from a partner base led by India and South Africa, alongside gold-trading hubs and East African neighbors among the identifiable destinations. That mix reflects an economy where a single dominant export commodity coexists with a longstanding regional trading role.