Summary
- Exports
- $16billion
- Imports
- $20.4billion
- Trade balance
- -$4.4billion
Products
What it exports
Gold (36.8%) and crude petroleum (23.3%) together make up 60.1% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (7.4%) and bulldozers and excavators (3%) together make up 10.4% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $5.9 billion | $49 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $4.3 billion | $1.7 billion |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $2.7 billion | $67 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $679 million | $457 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $420 million | $34 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $230 million | $333 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $229 million | $230 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $172 million | $287 million |
| 44 · Wood | $150 million | $58 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $146 million | $141 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $129 million | $179 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $94 million | $28 million |
| 74 · Copper | $86 million | $38 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $86 million | $107 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $65 million | $246 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $62 million | $1.3 billion |
| 78 · Lead | $60 million | $201 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $41 million | $3 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $40 million | $685 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $40 million | $193 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $31 million | $183 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $29 million | $120 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $26 million | $2.7 billion |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $26 million | $74 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $24 million | $292 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $21 million | $261 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $19 million | $654 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $19 million | $241 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $17 million | $66 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $16 million | $88 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $16 million | $1.5 billion |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $15 million | $161 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $15 million | $447 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $10 million | $223 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $10 million | $1.5 billion |
| 07 · Vegetables | $8 million | $52 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $7 million | $141 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $6 million | $1 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $6 million | $80 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $5 million | $219 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $5 million | $346 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $5 million | $274 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $5 million | $103 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $4 million | $2 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $4 million | $361 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $4 million | $203 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $4 million | $544 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $3 million | $49 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $3 million | $33 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $2 million | $291 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $2 million | $24 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $2 million | $3 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $2 million | $64 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $2 million | $1 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $1 million | $156 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $1 million | $109 million |
| 70 · Glass | $1 million | $91 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $1 million | $167 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $1 million | $49 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $1 million | $15 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $1 million | $225 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $985 thousand | $197 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $982 thousand | $231 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $643 thousand | $322 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $568 thousand | $3 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $542 thousand | $4 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $524 thousand | $95 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $493 thousand | $304 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $375 thousand | $134 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $354 thousand | $91 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $329 thousand | $206 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $303 thousand | $80 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $254 thousand | $25 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $236 thousand | $6 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $223 thousand | $394 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $215 thousand | $39 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $202 thousand | $62 million |
| 80 · Tin | $198 thousand | $430 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $137 thousand | $20 million |
| 51 · Wool | $134 thousand | $99 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $112 thousand | $1 million |
| 65 · Hats | $90 thousand | $13 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $84 thousand | $14 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $79 thousand | $64 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $55 thousand | $473 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $34 thousand | $42 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $24 thousand | $387 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $14 thousand | $8 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $14 thousand | $4 million |
| 50 · Silk | $10 thousand | $2 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $8 thousand | $19 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $4 thousand | $72 million |
| 45 · Cork | $3 thousand | $11 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $2 thousand | $9 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $898 | $12 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $541 | $5 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Switzerland (26.7% of exports) and its main source is China (48.3% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 4.3 | 26.7% | Air |
| China | 2 | 12.5% | Sea |
| India | 1.7 | 10.6% | Air |
| United States | 1.2 | 7.5% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 0.73 | 4.5% | Sea |
| South Africa | 0.65 | 4% | Sea |
| Burkina Faso | 0.57 | 3.6% | Land |
| Italy | 0.51 | 3.2% | Sea |
| France | 0.51 | 3.2% | Sea |
| Brazil | 0.43 | 2.7% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 9.8 | 48.3% | Sea |
| India | 1.3 | 6.3% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 1.3 | 6.1% | Sea |
| United States | 0.88 | 4.3% | Sea |
| Belgium | 0.61 | 3% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 0.51 | 2.5% | Sea |
| Turkey | 0.4 | 2% | Sea |
| South Africa | 0.35 | 1.7% | Sea |
| Brazil | 0.34 | 1.7% | Sea |
| Germany | 0.32 | 1.6% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Ghana accounted for 0.07% of world exports, compared with 0.03% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 11-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 16
- Imports 20.4
- Balance -4.4
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1.5 billion | $1.8 billion | -$334 million |
| 1996 | $2.6 billion | $3.1 billion | -$431 million |
| 1997 | $1.8 billion | $3.8 billion | -$2 billion |
| 1998 | $1.9 billion | $3.5 billion | -$1.6 billion |
| 1999 | $2 billion | $3.5 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2000 | $2.3 billion | $3.3 billion | -$970 million |
| 2001 | $2 billion | $3.6 billion | -$1.6 billion |
| 2002 | $1.7 billion | $3.3 billion | -$1.6 billion |
| 2003 | $2.3 billion | $4.1 billion | -$1.8 billion |
| 2004 | $2.3 billion | $3.8 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2005 | $4 billion | $5.9 billion | -$2 billion |
| 2006 | $4.2 billion | $6.2 billion | -$2 billion |
| 2007 | $5.2 billion | $9 billion | -$3.8 billion |
| 2008 | $6.4 billion | $10.8 billion | -$4.3 billion |
| 2009 | $6.8 billion | $8 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2010 | $8 billion | $10.6 billion | -$2.6 billion |
| 2011 | $15.1 billion | $14.9 billion | $194 million |
| 2012 | $18.2 billion | $16.7 billion | $1.5 billion |
| 2013 | $18.2 billion | $16.5 billion | $1.6 billion |
| 2014 | $17.3 billion | $18 billion | -$718 million |
| 2015 | $14.9 billion | $17 billion | -$2.1 billion |
| 2016 | $16.4 billion | $14.2 billion | $2.2 billion |
| 2017 | $17.4 billion | $15.2 billion | $2.1 billion |
| 2018 | $21.8 billion | $14.3 billion | $7.5 billion |
| 2019 | $22.5 billion | $17.1 billion | $5.4 billion |
| 2020 | $14 billion | $16.6 billion | -$2.6 billion |
| 2021 | $22.1 billion | $21.3 billion | $778 million |
| 2022 | $29.3 billion | $20.4 billion | $8.9 billion |
| 2023 | $27.4 billion | $19.2 billion | $8.2 billion |
| 2024 | $16 billion | $20.4 billion | -$4.4 billion |
World rank
Ghana rose from 102nd to 83rd among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 102nd in 1995
- 83rd in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 102nd |
| 1996 | 87th |
| 1997 | 103rd |
| 1998 | 97th |
| 1999 | 97th |
| 2000 | 101st |
| 2001 | 110th |
| 2002 | 112th |
| 2003 | 109th |
| 2004 | 117th |
| 2005 | 101st |
| 2006 | 107th |
| 2007 | 102nd |
| 2008 | 103rd |
| 2009 | 91st |
| 2010 | 93rd |
| 2011 | 78th |
| 2012 | 75th |
| 2013 | 75th |
| 2014 | 79th |
| 2015 | 76th |
| 2016 | 72nd |
| 2017 | 75th |
| 2018 | 72nd |
| 2019 | 72nd |
| 2020 | 80th |
| 2021 | 74th |
| 2022 | 73rd |
| 2023 | 72nd |
| 2024 | 83rd |
What it sells
Gems and precious metals became its top export group: from 15% to 37%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 9%
- Aluminum 1%
- Fats and oils 1%
- Rubber 1%
- Fruit and nuts 3%
- Ores and slag 4%
- Cocoa and chocolate 17%
- Oil, gas and coal 27%
- Gems and precious metals 37%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gems and precious metals | 15.3% | 37.1% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 1.3% | 26.6% |
| Cocoa and chocolate | 33.2% | 16.9% |
| Ores and slag | 2.5% | 4.2% |
| Fruit and nuts | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Rubber | 0.78% | 1.4% |
| Fats and oils | 0.26% | 1.4% |
| Aluminum | 16.8% | 1.1% |
| Other | 28.3% | 8.7% |
Who it trades with
China went from 2% to 33% of Ghana's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 33%
- Switzerland 12%
- India 8%
- United States 6%
- Netherlands 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 2.4% | 32.5% |
| Switzerland | 1.4% | 11.9% |
| India | 1.6% | 8.2% |
| United States | 11.1% | 5.7% |
| Netherlands | 5.4% | 5.4% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
- Cote d'Ivoire basin
- Karpowership (Ghana) Osman Khan power station
- Sunon Asogli power station
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.