Summary
- Exports
- $80million
- Imports
- $76million
- Trade balance
- +$5million
Products
What it exports
Frozen fish (73.8%) and tugboats (24.1%) together make up 97.9% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (20.1%) and steel structures (16.6%) together make up 36.7% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (86)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $59 million | $105 thousand |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $19 million | $682 thousand |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $504 thousand | $3 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $359 thousand | $17 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $137 thousand | $9 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $115 thousand | $0 |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $77 thousand | $2 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $73 thousand | $984 thousand |
| 87 · Vehicles | $56 thousand | $4 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $46 thousand | $816 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $24 thousand | $3 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $13 thousand | $0 |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $10 thousand | $206 thousand |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $5 thousand | $222 thousand |
| 64 · Footwear | $5 thousand | $59 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $5 thousand | $386 thousand |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $5 thousand | $659 thousand |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $3 thousand | $69 thousand |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $3 thousand | $62 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $3 thousand | $241 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $2 thousand | $193 thousand |
| 76 · Aluminum | $2 thousand | $279 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $2 thousand | $0 |
| 44 · Wood | $2 thousand | $1 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $1 thousand | $126 thousand |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $1 thousand | $102 thousand |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $1 thousand | $16 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $850 | $2 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $665 | $2 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $655 | $1 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $651 | $417 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $609 | $5 thousand |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $542 | $91 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $328 | $128 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $292 | $188 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $186 | $382 thousand |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $147 | $688 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $132 | $25 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $115 | $2 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $49 | $11 thousand |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $22 | $956 thousand |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $17 | $0 |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $6 | $202 thousand |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $0 | $1 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $1 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $828 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $0 | $818 thousand |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $0 | $763 thousand |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $0 | $673 thousand |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $664 thousand |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $0 | $614 thousand |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $0 | $490 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $0 | $356 thousand |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $0 | $329 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $0 | $294 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $0 | $266 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $0 | $231 thousand |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $0 | $223 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $0 | $85 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $0 | $83 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $0 | $64 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $59 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $0 | $50 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $0 | $38 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $30 thousand |
| 70 · Glass | $0 | $25 thousand |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $0 | $17 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $12 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $0 | $11 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $6 thousand |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $0 | $3 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $748 |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $454 |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $0 | $300 |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $184 |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $127 |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $76 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Thailand (91.5% of exports) and its main source is Fiji (35.7% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 73.4 | 91.5% | Sea |
| Philippines | 3.2 | 4% | Sea |
| South Korea | 1.4 | 1.8% | Sea |
| Ecuador | 0.67 | 0.83% | — |
| France | 0.33 | 0.42% | — |
| Czechia | 0.19 | 0.24% | — |
| Portugal | 0.17 | 0.21% | — |
| Chile | 0.15 | 0.19% | — |
| United States | 0.15 | 0.19% | — |
| Fiji | 0.1 | 0.12% | — |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiji | 27 | 35.7% | Sea |
| China | 19.7 | 26% | Sea |
| Australia | 8.6 | 11.4% | Sea |
| New Zealand | 7.4 | 9.9% | Sea |
| South Korea | 5.1 | 6.7% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 2.1 | 2.8% | Air |
| Taiwan | 1.7 | 2.2% | Sea |
| Singapore | 0.84 | 1.1% | — |
| Thailand | 0.64 | 0.85% | — |
| Japan | 0.55 | 0.72% | — |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Tuvalu accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 73-fold since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 80.2
- Imports 75.6
- Balance +4.6
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1 million | $5 million | -$3 million |
| 1996 | $2 million | $4 million | -$2 million |
| 1997 | $706 thousand | $9 million | -$8 million |
| 1998 | $434 thousand | $12 million | -$11 million |
| 1999 | $2 million | $10 million | -$8 million |
| 2000 | $1 million | $5 million | -$4 million |
| 2001 | $300 million | $391 million | -$90 million |
| 2002 | $338 million | $468 million | -$130 million |
| 2003 | $3 million | $16 million | -$13 million |
| 2004 | $2 million | $21 million | -$19 million |
| 2005 | $1 million | $32 million | -$31 million |
| 2006 | $4 million | $40 million | -$36 million |
| 2007 | $1 million | $37 million | -$35 million |
| 2008 | $4 million | $109 million | -$105 million |
| 2009 | $4 million | $104 million | -$100 million |
| 2010 | $15 million | $70 million | -$55 million |
| 2011 | $13 million | $66 million | -$53 million |
| 2012 | $31 million | $178 million | -$147 million |
| 2013 | $25 million | $56 million | -$31 million |
| 2014 | $13 million | $79 million | -$66 million |
| 2015 | $39 million | $55 million | -$17 million |
| 2016 | $43 million | $39 million | $4 million |
| 2017 | $10 million | $64 million | -$54 million |
| 2018 | $30 million | $64 million | -$34 million |
| 2019 | $21 million | $67 million | -$46 million |
| 2020 | $16 million | $73 million | -$57 million |
| 2021 | $129 million | $126 million | $2 million |
| 2022 | $80 million | $98 million | -$19 million |
| 2023 | $57 million | $104 million | -$47 million |
| 2024 | $80 million | $76 million | $5 million |
World rank
Tuvalu rose from 205th to 194th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 205th in 1995
- 194th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 205th |
| 1996 | 204th |
| 1997 | 207th |
| 1998 | 209th |
| 1999 | 206th |
| 2000 | 217th |
| 2001 | 158th |
| 2002 | 157th |
| 2003 | 216th |
| 2004 | 216th |
| 2005 | 217th |
| 2006 | 216th |
| 2007 | 218th |
| 2008 | 218th |
| 2009 | 216th |
| 2010 | 209th |
| 2011 | 212th |
| 2012 | 207th |
| 2013 | 207th |
| 2014 | 213th |
| 2015 | 201st |
| 2016 | 204th |
| 2017 | 217th |
| 2018 | 207th |
| 2019 | 215th |
| 2020 | 212th |
| 2021 | 195th |
| 2022 | 198th |
| 2023 | 202nd |
| 2024 | 194th |
What it sells
Fish and seafood became its top export group: from 0.3% to 74%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 0%
- Furniture and lighting 0%
- Gems and precious metals 0%
- Other animal products 0%
- Mechanical machinery 0%
- Iron and steel products 0%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 1%
- Ships and boats 24%
- Fish and seafood 74%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 0.32% | 74.1% |
| Ships and boats | 0% | 24.1% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 21.7% | 0.63% |
| Iron and steel products | 7.6% | 0.45% |
| Mechanical machinery | 1.5% | 0.17% |
| Other animal products | 0% | 0.14% |
| Gems and precious metals | 0% | 0.1% |
| Furniture and lighting | 0.19% | 0.09% |
| Other | 68.7% | 0.24% |
Who it trades with
Thailand went from 0% to 48% of Tuvalu's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Thailand 48%
- Fiji 17%
- China 13%
- Australia 6%
- New Zealand 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 0% | 47.5% |
| Fiji | 0% | 17.4% |
| China | 1.2% | 12.6% |
| Australia | 42.5% | 5.5% |
| New Zealand | 9.1% | 4.8% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources 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.