flag Gambia Gambia: Trade Profile

Foreign Trade in Figures

With a liberal economy, Gambia is open to foreign trade, which was 45% of its GDP in 2020 (World Bank). Gambia’s exports are mainly made of machinery, cement, vegetable fats, nuts, woven fabrics and fish. The country imports petroleum oils, ships, vehicles, cereals, cement, sugar and food (ITC, 2020)

Gambia exports its goods mainly to Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau, India and China. The country mainly imports goods from Norway, China, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Turkey, India and Togo (ITC, 2020). The country is a member of the World Trade Organisation and of the ECOWAS. It has set a favourable regulation for trade with low customs duties. Its re-exportation activities, which represent a significant part of its foreign trade, are supported by its ports’ efficiency and trade policy. There is, however, low transparency on its customs duties’ calculation. The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) collects excise duties on locally manufactured products (per unit).

The Gambia’s trade balance is structurally negative. According to the World Bank, in 2020 The Gambia imported USD 695 million worth of goods while it exported USD 61 million worth of goods. It also imported services totalling USD 102 million and exported services totalling USD 117 million.

 
Foreign Trade Indicators 20172018201920202021
Imports of Goods (million USD) 549677621695607
Exports of Goods (million USD) 1061401336132
Imports of Services (million USD) 12210196102119
Exports of Services (million USD) 136197214117104
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 1918-21720
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 1044-11-464
Trade Balance (million USD) -331-421-378-512-576
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) 5363534842
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 3741343836
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 172219106

Source: WTO – World Trade Organisation ; World Bank - Latest available data.

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Main Partner Countries

Main Customers
(% of Exports)
2021
Mali 44.7%
China 29.1%
Senegal 10.9%
Guinea-Bissau 4.5%
India 3.7%
See More Countries 7.2%
Main Suppliers
(% of Imports)
2021
Togo 25.5%
Ivory Coast 12.4%
China 7.6%
Denmark 6.0%
India 5.6%
See More Countries 42.9%

Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data

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Main Products

0.0 bn USD of products exported in 2021
Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excl. crude); preparations containing >= 70% by weight of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, n.e.s.; waste oils containing mainly petroleum or bituminous minerals 45.7%
RyeRye 14.1%
Groundnuts, whether or not shelled or broken (excl...Groundnuts, whether or not shelled or broken (excl. roasted or otherwise cooked) 7.7%
Coconuts, brazil nuts and cashew nuts, fresh or...Coconuts, brazil nuts and cashew nuts, fresh or dried, whether or not shelled or peeled 5.6%
Machine tools, incl. machines for nailing,...Machine tools, incl. machines for nailing, stapling, glueing or otherwise assembling, for working wood, cork, bone, hard rubber, hard plastics or similar hard materials (excl. machines for working in the hand) 5.2%
See More Products 21.7%
0.7 bn USD of products imported in 2021
Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excl. crude); preparations containing >= 70% by weight of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, n.e.s.; waste oils containing mainly petroleum or bituminous minerals 38.2%
Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally...Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons, incl. station wagons and racing cars (excl. motor vehicles of heading 8702) 9.8%
RiceRice 5.4%
Fixed vegetable fats and oils, incl. jojoba oil,...Fixed vegetable fats and oils, incl. jojoba oil, and their fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified (excl. soya-bean, groundnut, olive, palm, sunflower-seed, safflower, cotton-seed, coconut, palm kernel, babassu, rape, colza and mustard oil) 3.0%
Cement, incl. cement clinkers, whether or not...Cement, incl. cement clinkers, whether or not coloured 2.7%
See More Products 40.8%

Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data

 

To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows

 

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Commercial Policy

International Economic Cooperation
Member of World Trade Organisation
Member of African Union (AU)

Member of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Member of South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone

Assessment of Commercial Policy
Country’s commercial policy
Average Customs Duty (Excluding Agricultural Products)
 
 
 
 

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Latest Update: February 2023