01Key Takeaways
- Tanzania imported $15.12 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 3.4% from $15.65 billion in 2022, a modest pullback and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led every import category at 21.6% ($3.27 billion), by far the largest single category on this list.
- China was Tanzania's largest import partner, supplying 27.5% of imports, worth $4.16 billion, by far the largest share held by any single partner.
- The top three import partners together accounted for 49.8% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $9.1B | $8.5B | $10.9B | $15.7B | $15.1B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $4.2B | 27.5% |
| 2 | India | $1.9B | 12.9% |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | $1.4B | 9.4% |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | $919.2M | 6.1% |
| 5 | Japan | $649.5M | 4.3% |
| 6 | South Africa | $555.5M | 3.7% |
| 7 | Kenya | $408.9M | 2.7% |
| 8 | Russia | $384.4M | 2.5% |
| 9 | United States | $378.4M | 2.5% |
| 10 | Turkey | $328.1M | 2.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $3.3B | 21.6% |
| 2 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $1.8B | 12.1% |
| 3 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $1.6B | 10.7% |
| 4 | 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 | $955.9M | 6.3% |
| 5 | Iron and Steel | $775.1M | 5.1% |
| 6 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $695.8M | 4.6% |
| 7 | Cereals | $578.8M | 3.8% |
| 8 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $477.0M | 3.2% |
| 9 | Fertilisers | $457.9M | 3.0% |
| 10 | Miscellaneous Chemical Products | $446.0M | 3.0% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Eased Back in 2023 After a Sharp Two-Year Climb
Tanzania imported $15.12 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 3.4% from $15.65 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 the import side of trade for this East African economy.
Import value stood at $9.05 billion in 2019. It fell to $8.52 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing sharply for two consecutive years. Import value reached $10.87 billion in 2021 and $15.65 billion in 2022, the high point of this five-year window, before easing back to $15.12 billion in 2023.
This dataset does not explain the 2020 dip or the sharp two-year climb that followed. A decrease of 3.4% describes a modest pullback rather than a sharp reversal. It holds on to nearly all of the gains built up over the previous two years. Import value in 2023 nonetheless remains well above every year in this window before 2022. That shape contrasts with the export side of trade for this same country, where value has climbed every year of this same window without a comparable pullback.
Fuel and Machinery Anchor an Import List Tied to China's Manufacturing Reach
Mineral fuels led every import category in 2023, worth $3.27 billion, or 21.6% of the total, by far the largest single category on this list. Machinery and mechanical appliances ranked second at 12.1%, worth $1.83 billion. China and India remain the primary sources of Tanzanian imports, together supplying a large share of the country's imports, primarily machinery, technologies and manufactured goods. That pattern lines up with China and India ranking as Tanzania's two largest import partners, and machinery ranking second on this import list. Vehicles followed at 10.7%, worth $1.62 billion. These first three categories together account for well over four in ten dollars of total import value.
Electrical machinery and equipment contributed 6.3%, worth $955.93 million, and iron and steel added 5.1%, worth $775.11 million. These first five categories together account for well over half of total import value, leaving a far smaller share for the remaining industrial and agricultural categories on this list.
Plastics contributed 4.6% ($695.82 million), and cereals added 3.8%, worth $578.79 million. Iron or steel articles contributed 3.2%, worth $476.95 million. Fertilizers added 3.0% ($457.86 million), essentially tied with chemical products not elsewhere classified at 3.0% ($446.01 million), the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. A long tail of industrial inputs fills out the rest of this list. These ten categories span energy, transport, metals and chemicals, reflecting an economy importing both immediate necessities and inputs for domestic industry.
China and India Lead a Highly Concentrated Partner List
China was Tanzania's largest import partner in 2023, taking 27.5% of imports, worth $4.16 billion, more than double the next-largest partner. India ranked second at 12.9%, worth $1.95 billion. United Arab Emirates followed at 9.4%, worth $1.42 billion. Together, these top three partners accounted for 49.8% of total import value, a markedly higher concentration than seen on the export side of trade for this country. That gap reflects a partner base dominated by a single supplier rather than a wider mix of destinations.
Saudi Arabia contributed 6.1% ($919.15 million), and Japan added a further 4.3% ($649.53 million). South Africa followed at 3.7%, worth $555.51 million. These middle-ranked partners span the Middle East, Asia and southern Africa, a notably different mix from the top three.
Kenya contributed 2.7% ($408.89 million). Russia added 2.5% ($384.39 million), essentially tied with United States at 2.5% ($378.38 million). Turkey closed out the top ten at 2.2%, worth $328.15 million, the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. This list spans Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America, though China alone supplies well over a quarter of all imports. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly four percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the wide gap separating the top partner from the rest.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile anchored in fuel and machinery, easing back modestly after a sharp two-year climb. That profile is sourced from a partner base led overwhelmingly by China, a far more concentrated grouping than the wider spread seen among this country's export partners.