Angola: Economic and Political Overview
Angola has significantly liberalized its trade scheme in recent years, with trade now representing around 68% of the country's GDP (World Bank, latest available data). The country is a member of SADC (Southern African Development Community) and ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States) and has signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Oil exports account for more than 95% of total exports. Additionally, Angola is a major exporter of diamonds and liquefied natural gas to the American, European, and Japanese markets. Other exports include coffee, sisal, and fish. The growth of non-oil exports has been supported by the Institutional Capacity Building Project for Private Sector Development sponsored by the African Development Bank.
Angola's main trade partners are China (42.7%), India (10.0%), France (7.1%), the Netherlands (6.7%), and Spain (4.3%), while imports primarily come from China (16.0%), Portugal (10.7%), South Korea (9.2%), the Netherlands (6.8%), and India (6.1% - data from Comtrade for 2022).
Thanks to its comfortable oil revenues, Angola historically records a large but volatile trade surplus that is expected to continue in the coming years. In 2022, merchandise exports increased to USD 51.2 billion (+48.7% y-o-y) thanks to high hydrocarbon prices, while imports increased to USD 17.8 billion (+56.4% y-o-y). Services exports were almost non-existent (USD 82 million in 2022), while imports rose to USD 11.3 billion (+60.2% y-o-y – data from WTO). In the same year, the trade surplus amounted to 18.7% of the country’s GDP (World Bank).
Foreign Trade Values | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Imports of Goods (million USD) | 13,962 | 9,338 | 11,379 | 17,803 | 16,108 |
Exports of Goods (million USD) | 35,432 | 22,135 | 34,472 | 51,275 | 38,351 |
Imports of Services (million USD) | 8,172 | 5,603 | 7,050 | 11,297 | 8,182 |
Exports of Services (million USD) | 455 | 67 | 94 | 82 | 73 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Indicators | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 66.4 | 57.8 | 55.4 | 62.1 | n/a |
Trade Balance (million USD) | 24,960 | 20,599 | 11,394 | 21,787 | 32,771 |
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) | 15,502 | 12,881 | 5,859 | 14,830 | 21,556 |
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -16.0 | -25.0 | -19.6 | -18.3 | 13.8 |
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -7.6 | -17.4 | -6.2 | -10.7 | 0.7 |
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 25.5 | 17.0 | 17.3 | 16.6 | n/a |
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 40.8 | 40.8 | 38.0 | 45.4 | n/a |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2023 | 2024 (e) | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) | 2027 (e) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | -6.2 | 2.9 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 2.0 |
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | -13.0 | -5.8 | 1.6 | 1.0 | -7.8 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
Member of Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Member of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
Member of Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
Member of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Main Customers (% of Exports) |
2022 |
China | 42.7% |
India | 10.0% |
France | 7.1% |
Netherlands | 6.7% |
Spain | 4.3% |
See More Countries | 29.1% |
Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2022 |
China | 16.0% |
Portugal | 10.7% |
South Korea | 9.2% |
Netherlands | 6.8% |
India | 6.1% |
See More Countries | 51.1% |
Source: Comtrade, 2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
To go further, check out our service Import-Export Flows.
0.1 bn USD of services exported in 2022 | |
27.20% | |
25.34% | |
23.94% | |
Business travelBusiness travel | 20.65% |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 3.29% |
OtherOther | 52.54% |
23.52% |
11.2 bn USD of services imported in 2022 | |
32.37% | |
25.53% | |
14.79% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 13.29% |
OtherOther | 52.83% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 1.50% |
14.64% | |
4.41% | |
2.44% | |
1.99% | |
1.57% | |
1.25% | |
1.00% |
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Latest Update: October 2024