Country import demand

Central African Republic
import demand

A reported view of Central African Republic's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

CAF1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$579.4M2024 reported
Import growth+1.1%Year on year
Population5.3MReported population
GDP per capita$516.2Current-dollar GDP
Trade openness63.4%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Central African Republic import?

In 2024, Central African Republic recorded $579.4M in reported imports. Imports changed +1.1% year on year and +7.5% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$373.8M
2014
$265.3M
2015
$358.6M
2016
$291.5M
2017
$332.7M
2018
$358.3M
2019
$443.2M
2020
$443.1M
2021
$466.3M
2022
$616.7M
2023
$573.2M
2024
$579.4M

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$2.8B2024 macro context
GDP growth4.4%Five-year CAGR
Population growth1.5%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate13.5%National rate
Savings rate-1%National rate
Trade openness63.4%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Central African Republic
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Precious stones and metalsHS2 71$237.6K0%1017
2AircraftHS2 88$1.8M0.3%1711
3Wood and wood articlesHS2 44$624.3K0.1%1491
4Electrical machineryHS2 85$46.0M7.9%71242
5VehiclesHS2 87$48.0M8.3%5675
6Ceramic productsHS2 69$594.2K0.1%2526
7Miscellaneous base-metal articlesHS2 83$1.1M0.2%3132
8CottonHS2 52$325.9K0.1%1019
9MachineryHS2 84$38.7M6.7%68507
10Iron and steelHS2 72$2.2M0.4%18104

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration2,773.8Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share71.2%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets4Reported count
Average distance7,167 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3CAF
Exports Usd$206.7M
Imports Usd$579.4M
Trade Balance Usd-$372.7M
Yoy Exports Growth Pct24.4%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct1.1%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct22.7%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct7.5%
Export Partner Hhi2,773.8
Export Product Hhi2,285.6
Momentum Score23.9
Risk Score25.3
Gdp Million Usd2,751.5 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$516.2
Population5,330,690
Labor Force2,211.1
Investment Rate Pct13.5%
Savings Rate Pct-1%
Secondary Education Pct27.1%
Tertiary Education Pct2%
Total Factor Productivity63.6
Trade Openness Pct63.4%
Exports Gdp Pct16.7%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners4
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners7%
Num Shared Language Partners41%
Avg Partner Distance Km7,167 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta1
Pct Partners Shared Language15.2%
Pct Partners Shared Border2.6%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km7,195 km
Num Border Partners120
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8.9
Pct Products High Elasticity70.8
Pct Products Low Elasticity2.1
Real Market Potential25,018.9
Foreign Market Potential12,906.4

Supplier context

Country Iso3CAF
All History Lane Count769
Current Lane Count53
Critical Lane Count0
High Attention Lane Count9
High Volatility Lane Count24
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count25
Declining Demand Lane Count2
Concentrated Market Lane Count27
Access Friction Lane Count13
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count2
Monitored Exports Current Usd$177.9M
Attention Exports Usd$79.3M
Critical Exports Usd$0.0
High Volatility Exports Usd$126.2M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$30.9M
Non Fta Exports Usd$177.4M
Monitored Attention Share Pct44.6%
Monitored Critical Share Pct0%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct0.3%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.4
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct13.7%
Export Weighted Distance Km5,499 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$206.7M
Total Imports Latest Usd$579.4M
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$372.7M
Exports Yoy Latest Pct24.4%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct22.7%
Gdp Latest Million Usd2,751.5 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$516.2
Population Latest5,330,690
Investment Rate Latest Pct13.5%
Savings Rate Latest Pct-1%
Trade Openness Latest Pct63.4%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct16.7%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest4
Foreign Market Potential Latest12,906.4
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4.4%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct2.8%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.5%
Partner Hhi Latest2,773.8
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct49.4%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct71.2%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,937
Partner Hhi All Max4,808.6
Product Hhi Latest2,285.6
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct42.8%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct68.4%
Product Hhi All Avg2,031.1
Product Hhi All Max4,717.1
Total Exports Attention Share Pct38.4%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct0%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$179.2M$77.6M-$101.6M+0%
1996$124.9M$60.4M-$64.6M-30.3%
1997$96.0M$64.5M-$31.5M-23.2%
1998$110.1M$84.6M-$25.6M+14.7%
1999$102.6M$178.2M$75.6M-6.8%
2000$82.2M$179.5M$97.2M-19.9%
2001$79.1M$138.7M$59.6M-3.8%
2002$84.0M$138.3M$54.3M+6.2%
2003$103.6M$115.8M$12.2M+23.4%
2004$137.0M$128.1M-$8.8M+32.2%
2005$165.7M$135.0M-$30.7M+21%
2006$179.7M$120.3M-$59.5M+8.5%
2007$224.1M$136.8M-$87.3M+24.7%
2008$314.6M$146.2M-$168.4M+40.4%
2009$229.7M$102.1M-$127.6M-27%
2010$400.2M$130.3M-$269.9M+74.3%
2011$695.4M$121.0M-$574.5M+73.8%
2012$340.6M$156.1M-$184.5M-51%
2013$373.8M$103.4M-$270.4M+9.7%
2014$265.3M$70.6M-$194.7M-29%
2015$358.6M$72.8M-$285.8M+35.1%
2016$291.5M$133.5M-$158.0M-18.7%
2017$332.7M$135.1M-$197.6M+14.1%
2018$358.3M$96.2M-$262.1M+7.7%
2019$443.2M$74.1M-$369.0M+23.7%
2020$443.1M$110.6M-$332.5M-0%
2021$466.3M$111.8M-$354.5M+5.2%
2022$616.7M$139.8M-$477.0M+32.3%
2023$573.2M$166.1M-$407.1M-7.1%
2024$579.4M$206.7M-$372.7M+1.1%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
171Precious stones and metals$237.6K0%1017
288Aircraft$1.8M0.3%1711
344Wood and wood articles$624.3K0.1%1491
485Electrical machinery$46.0M7.9%71242
587Vehicles$48.0M8.3%5675
669Ceramic products$594.2K0.1%2526
783Miscellaneous base-metal articles$1.1M0.2%3132
852Cotton$325.9K0.1%1019
984Machinery$38.7M6.7%68507
1072Iron and steel$2.2M0.4%18104

Questions about this profile

Central African Republic import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Central African Republic import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Central African Republic.

What is the latest reported import value for Central African Republic?

Central African Republic recorded $579.4M in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Central African Republic's imports?

Precious stones and metals leads by reported import value at $237.6K.

How many years of Central African Republic import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.