Egypt and Sudan’s Position in Global and African Trade in 2025

Eng. Monjed Ibrahim Yousif

This report provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of global import activity in 2025, based on data from the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The data includes a ranked list of 230 countries and territories, showing their total import values and comparing them with previous annual growth rates. The source also provides detailed indicators, including each country’s share of total global imports and the average geographical distances covered by supply chains.
Particular attention has been given to data on the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Sudan, making it easier to understand their trading positions in the global context. The report serves as an important reference for assessing trade standings and future economic trends across both emerging and advanced markets.
Based on a thorough analysis of the data, we present the following overview of global imports in 2025, with particular emphasis on the Arab and African regions, especially Egypt and Sudan.
First: Overview of Global Imports in 2025
The total value of global imports in 2025 exceeded US$25.8 trillion, reaching precisely US$25,808,376,498,000.
Global trade recorded annual value growth of 8% between 2024 and 2025, while annual volume growth averaged 3% between 2021 and 2025.
The United States topped the list, accounting for 13.6% of total world imports, followed by China with 10%. Together, the two countries represented nearly 24% of global imports.
Combined imports by the United States and China totalled approximately US$6.2 trillion, with US$3.5 trillion for the United States and US$2.6 trillion for China, reflecting the enormous scale of their economies.
Second: Analysis of Arab Imports
The data reveal significant variation in trade performance among Arab countries, with the Gulf states emerging as major import markets.
United Arab Emirates: Ranked first among Arab countries and 22nd globally, with imports worth US$362.8 billion, recording strong annual growth of 15%.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Ranked 27th globally, with imports valued at US$252.2 billion, representing approximately 1% of total global imports.
Qatar and Syria: Recorded the highest annual growth rates in import values among Arab countries. Qatar’s imports grew by 31% (ranked 65th globally), while Syria’s imports increased by 68%, placing it 133rd globally among importing nations.
Declining Imports: Several countries experienced declines in import values, including Bahrain (-32%), Palestine (-7%), and Oman (-7%).
Third: Analysis of African Imports
Africa continues to represent a growing market, led primarily by countries in the north and south of the continent.
South Africa: Africa’s largest importer and 41st globally, with imports valued at US$105 billion and annual growth of 4%.
Morocco and Algeria: Morocco recorded imports of US$88 billion, up 15%, while Algeria’s imports reached US$48.6 billion, up 13%.
Nigeria: Imports amounted to US$54.4 billion. However, despite a 15% increase in value, import volumes declined by 3%, potentially indicating rising import costs.
East African Countries: Nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia demonstrated steady growth in import values, ranging between 13% and 16%.
Fourth: Focus on Egypt and Sudan
1. Arab Republic of Egypt
(Ranked 42nd among global importing countries)
The data indicate a relatively stable position for Egypt within global trade.
Import Value: US$101,003,755,000 (approximately US$101 billion), including petroleum products and derivatives.
Global Share: Egypt accounted for 0.4% of total world imports.
Growth: Imports grew by 7% in value between 2024 and 2025, while import volumes increased by 2% between 2021 and 2025.
Logistics: The average distance to Egypt’s supplier countries was 5,417 kilometres, while the supplier concentration index was relatively low at 0.07, indicating good diversification of import sources and export markets.
2. Republic of Sudan
(Ranked 138th globally by import volume)
The analysis reflects a unique situation in Sudan, characterised by strong growth in import value despite declining import volumes.
Import Value: US$5,879,855,000 (approximately US$5.9 billion).
Value Growth vs Volume Decline: Sudan recorded a substantial 54% increase in import value between 2024 and 2025. However, imported quantities declined by 10% between 2021 and 2025.
This apparent contradiction may be attributed to global inflation, rising prices of essential imported commodities, or the displacement of large numbers of Sudanese citizens abroad as a result of the ongoing war.
Supplier Concentration: Sudan’s supplier concentration index stood at 0.20, significantly higher than Egypt’s. This suggests greater dependence on a smaller number of trading partners, which is generally considered a weakness because it reflects limited diversification of import sources.
Key Findings
1.
In 2025, the monetary value of trade grew across most Arab and African countries. However, this expansion was not always accompanied by increases in import volumes, as seen in Sudan and Nigeria, reflecting economic pressures associated with rising global commodity prices.
Egypt and South Africa remain the principal engines of import on the African continent, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to dominate the Arab import landscape, with import values exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars.
2.
Egypt’s imports amount to approximately US$935–950 per capita, whereas Sudan’s imports average around US$150 per capita. This reflects Egypt’s substantially larger consumer and industrial base, resulting in per capita imports roughly six times Sudan’s.
3.
Africa’s total imports amount to approximately US$759 billion. Egypt and South Africa together account for 27% of this total, highlighting the economic weight of both countries within the continent.
Africa’s imports account for roughly 3% of global imports, valued at US$25.8 trillion.
4.
Egypt’s total trade with Africa—both exports and imports—amounts to US$9.35 billion, representing only 6% of Egypt’s total foreign trade volume of US$152 billion.
5.
Intra-African trade remains below 12% of the continent’s total trade volume, while the remaining 88% is conducted with external economic blocs such as China, the United States, and the European Union.
Africa’s imports total US$759 billion, while exports amount to US$651 billion, producing total external trade of approximately US$1.4 trillion, representing 2.7% of global trade valued at US$51.4 trillion.
6.
Egypt’s exports to Africa reached US$7.45 billion, while imports from Africa amounted to US$1.9 billion, resulting in bilateral trade of US$9.35 billion.
This represents 6% of Egypt’s foreign trade and less than 1% (0.66%) of Africa’s total trade volume.
7.
Intra-African trade amounted to US$163 billion, representing 11.6% of the continent’s total foreign trade of US$1.4 trillion.
8.
South Africa recorded the strongest intra-African trade performance.
Its exports to African countries reached US$31 billion, while imports from the continent totalled US$10 billion, resulting in total intra-African trade of US$41 billion.
This represents:
18.5% of South Africa’s total foreign trade of US$222 billion.
15.8% of Africa’s total foreign trade.
Egypt’s foreign trade represents approximately 11% of Africa’s total trade. Together, Egypt and South Africa account for 27% of Africa’s foreign trade.
South Africa leads intra-African trade with US$41 billion, representing 25% of total intra-African trade. It is followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with US$10.5 billion (6.5%) and Egypt with US$9.35 billion (approximately 6%).
These three countries constitute the largest contributors to intra-African trade.
9.
Sudan’s foreign trade consists of exports worth US$2.9 billion and imports worth US$5.9 billion, for a total of US$8.8 billion, equivalent to 0.6% of Africa’s total trade.
Sudan’s trade with African countries includes exports valued at US$260 million and imports worth US$960 million, generating total intra-African trade of approximately US$1.22 billion.
Approximately 95% of this trade is conducted between Sudan and Egypt, with the balance of trade largely in Egypt’s favour.

To Be Continued
A further analysis of export performance will follow, God willing.
Economic Expert in Egyptian–Sudanese Trade Relations

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