In 2025, 90% of Africa’s total exports to China were concentrated within 20 countries, amounting to $114.5 billion. Of those, three countries — South Africa, the DRC, and Angola — accounted for 55.4% of Africa’s total exports to China.
Trade between China and Africa in 2025 reached $348 billion, a 17.7% increase from 2024. As in the previous year, this growth was largely driven by rising Chinese exports, which amounted to $225 billion, compared to $123 billion in imports from the African continent. These figures, drawn from Chinese customs data, underscore both the strength of Sino-African trade relations and the persistence of their structural imbalance.
In 2025, 86% of China’s exports to Africa were concentrated in 20 countries, amounting to $195.5 billion. Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt took the top three spots; together, they make up 30% of Chinese exports to Africa.
2025’s export growth far outpaced import growth. Chinese exports to Africa rose by 25.8%, while imports grew by just 5.4%. That means imports grew at an even slower pace than in 2024, when imports grew by 6.9%.
These figures, drawn from Chinese customs data, underscore both the strength of Sino-African trade relations and the persistence of their structural imbalance.
