High-technology exports in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: High-technology exports was 2.86 billion current US$ in 2023. ▼ Falling
High-technology exports in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2013–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 2.86 billion current US$ for high-technology exports in 2023.
The figure is down 9.5% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, high-technology exports in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 4.20 billion current US$ in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.51 billion current US$, in 2020.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.39 billion current US$ | 2.71 billion current US$ | 4.20 billion current US$ | 7 |
| 2020s | 2.90 billion current US$ | 2.51 billion current US$ | 3.16 billion current US$ | 4 |
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 501.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 82.17 billion current US$ (2024)
- Transport services 39.4% (2024)
- Computer, communications and other services 38.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is high-technology exports in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- High-technology exports in Sub-Saharan Africa was 2.86 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest high-technology exports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.20 billion current US$ in 2015.
- What is the lowest high-technology exports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.51 billion current US$ in 2020.
- Is high-technology exports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), published as part of High-technology exports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
High-technology exports are products with high R&D intensity, such as aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery.