Economy and prices
What Somalia buys and sells: imports and exports by product, 2022 to 2024
In 2024 Somalia's recorded imports were worth $9.18 billion and its exports $1.56 billion, according to Central Bank figures published by the national statistics bureau. Food was the largest import at $2.52 billion, followed by medical products at $1.43 billion and construction goods at $1.19 billion. Khat imports were $400 million. Live animals made up $970 million of exports, or 62 percent, and crops and vegetable oil $344 million.
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Where these numbers come from
The Central Bank of Somalia compiles the value of goods coming into and leaving the country by product group, quarter by quarter. The Somali National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) publishes these tables in its yearly Somalia Facts and Figures (SNBS, Facts and Figures 2024, tables 2.12 to 2.14; SNBS reports page). This page brings together the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions. All values are in millions of US dollars.
Every figure is in the data file somalia-imports-exports-by-product-2022-2024.csv, with each quarter and the edition it comes from. For the wider picture, see Somalia's trade: exports and imports, Livestock exports, The khat trade and Central Bank of Somalia.
Imports by product group
| Product group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Share of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 2,162.7 | 2,002.5 | 2,517.7 | 27.4% |
| Medical products | 479.3 | 797.9 | 1,433.2 | 15.6% |
| Construction | 1,171.3 | 1,340.2 | 1,192.3 | 13.0% |
| Clothes and footwear | 570.5 | 460.3 | 907.9 | 9.9% |
| Oil and gas | 624.4 | 560.0 | 658.5 | 7.2% |
| Cars and spare parts | 431.2 | 467.4 | 643.1 | 7.0% |
| Personal care | 145.0 | 202.5 | 340.0 | 3.7% |
| Electronics and electric machines | 121.8 | 158.7 | 212.3 | 2.3% |
| Furniture and utensils | 56.5 | 143.7 | 174.4 | 1.9% |
| Beverages and tobacco | 87.4 | 105.5 | 162.8 | 1.8% |
| Cosmetics | 138.0 | 106.3 | 146.6 | 1.6% |
| Government agents | not listed | not listed | 132.4 | 1.4% |
| Plant industries | 34.5 | 62.2 | 115.6 | 1.3% |
| Stationery | 35.3 | 31.0 | 55.9 | 0.6% |
| Private sector | not listed | not listed | 4.6 | 0.1% |
| Others | 321.6 | 517.1 | 482.5 | 5.3% |
| of which khat | 100.8 | 454.5 | 400.1 | 4.4% |
| All imports | 6,379.5 | 6,955.5 | 9,179.7 | 100% |
Sources: SNBS, Facts and Figures 2022 and 2023, table 2.7, and 2024, table 2.12, from the Central Bank of Somalia. Khat is counted inside "Others".
- Growth: recorded imports rose 44 percent from 2022 to 2024.
- Medical products: these nearly tripled, from $479 million to $1.43 billion.
- Food: this was the largest group in every year, between 27 and 34 percent of the total.
- Quarters: the busiest quarter in 2024 was the fourth, at $2,594.9 million. The fourth quarter also had the most clothes and footwear ($335.7 million) and construction goods ($342.6 million).
Exports by product group
| Product group | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Share of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock | 558.4 | 860.9 | 969.9 | 62.3% |
| Crops and vegetable oil | 46.0 | 63.5 | 343.7 | 22.1% |
| Fishery exports | 51.3 | 15.0 | 76.8 | 4.9% |
| Forest products | 12.2 | 11.3 | 58.9 | 3.8% |
| Animal skins | 7.0 | 7.3 | 48.0 | 3.1% |
| Livestock products (meat) | 16.1 | 16.0 | 15.5 | 1.0% |
| Others | 13.0 | 35.5 | 43.1 | 2.8% |
| All exports | 704.0 | 1,009.5 | 1,556.0 | 100% |
Sources: SNBS, Facts and Figures 2022 and 2023, table 2.8, and 2024, table 2.13, from the Central Bank of Somalia.
- Livestock by quarter: livestock exports peak in the second quarter. The Central Bank links the seasonal pattern to demand around the Hajj and Eid al-Adha (Annual Report 2025, below). In 2023 the second quarter brought $453.6 million, more than half the year's livestock exports.
- Gulf markets: the Central Bank names the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia as the main buyers of Somali exports. It names China, India and the United Arab Emirates as the largest sources of imports (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
- Sources differ on livestock in 2024: the Central Bank's 2025 annual report gives livestock exports in 2024 as $950.9 million, against $969.9 million in the SNBS table (same source).
Goods trade in the balance of payments
| Year | Exports of goods (FOB) | Imports of goods (FOB) | Goods balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 571 | 3,144 | -2,573 |
| 2019 | 662 | 3,437 | -2,775 |
| 2020 | 549 | 3,412 | -2,863 |
| 2021 | 717 | 4,216 | -3,499 |
| 2022 | 704 | 5,614 | -4,910 |
| 2023 | 1,009 | 6,121 | -5,112 |
| 2024 | 1,556 | 7,718 | -6,162 |
Source: SNBS, Facts and Figures 2024, table 2.14. The goods balance is exports minus imports. The table's own "Goods" line differs from this for most years, and both are in the data file. The export totals match the product tables above. The import totals in the balance of payments, which values goods free on board (FOB), are lower than the totals of the product tables.
How to read the tables
- As published: the column headings in the source tables carry other years in places. The 2022 tables are headed "2020Q1" to "2020Q4", and the 2024 export table "2023Q1" to "2023Q4". The titles and totals show which year each covers.
- New groups in 2024: "Government agents" and "Private sector" appear only in the 2024 import table.
- Khat: the khat line rose from $100.8 million in 2022 to $454.5 million in 2023, as published.
- Download the data: the CSV has one row per flow, product, year and quarter.
Sources
- SNBS, Facts and Figures 2024, tables 2.12 to 2.14 · nbs.gov.so
- SNBS reports page · nbs.gov.so
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
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