Chad flag (FlagPictures.org)

A landlocked Central African nation, the Republic of Chad shipped US$2.8 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.

That calculated dollar amount results from a -6.3% slowdown from $3 billion 5 years earlier in in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of goods exported from Chad plummeted by -43.3% compared to $4.94 billion starting from 2024.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, Chad uses the West African CFA franc which appreciated by 4.4% against the US dollar since 2021 but declined by -4.5% from 2024 to 2025. Chad’s weaker local currency compared to 2024 makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers starting with American currency.

Chad’s top 3 most valuable exported products by value are crude oil, oil seeds then natural gums, resins and balsams. Collectively, that trio of export categories represent 98.5% of exports sold by Chad in 2025. Such a high percentage reflects Chad’s extremely concentrated portfolio of exported goods.

The latest available country-specific data shows that 99.7% of products exported from Chad was bought by importers in: Germany (30% of the Chadian total), Netherlands (25.9%), mainland China (20.1%), France (9.5%), Taiwan (7.7%), Türkiye (4.4%), India (0.8%), United States of America (0.6%), Uganda (0.3%), Thailand (0.18%), United Kingdom (0.08%) and Greece (0.07%).

From a continental perspective, 33.4% of Chad’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 65.6% was sold to importers in Europe.

Chad shipped another 0.62% worth of goods to buyers in North America.

Smaller percentages went to customers in fellow African countries (0.4%), Latin America (0.01%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania’s Australia only (0.001%).

Given Chad’s population of 19 million people, its total US$2.8 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $150 for every resident in the Central African country. That dollar metric lags the average $270 per capita one year earlier during 2024.

Chad’s top 10 export product categories generated 99.9% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Ores, slag and ash represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 247,925% from 2024 to 2025.

In second place for improving export sales was machinery including computers via a 318.9% advance.

Chad’s shipments of copper posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 202%.

The leading decliner among Chad’s top 10 export categories was gems and precious metals, thanks to a -99.4% year-over-year drop. Unwrought gold was a major drag for this product category.

Drilling down to 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System codes, Chad’s most valuable exported goods in 2025 were crude oil (90.2% of its overall total), oil seeds (5.2%), natural gums, resins and balsams (3.1%), uncarded and uncombed cotton (0.5%), miscellaneous ores and concentrates (0.4%), unwrought gold (0.3%), unroasted ground-nuts (0.05%), copper waste and scrap (0.04%), computers or optical readers (also 0.04%) then natural rubber (0.03%).

Chad generated an estimated US$1.44 billion product trade surplus for 2025, reducing by -52.7% from $3 billion in black ink one year earlier in 2024.

The following types of Chadian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

Not one Chadian corporation ranks among the Forbes Global 2000 listing.

Wikipedia also lists companies from Chad that participate in international trade transactions. Selected examples are shown below.

 
In macroeconomic terms, Chad’s total exported goods represent an estimated 4.9% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($56.7 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 4.9% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to roughly 9.1% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Chad’s total economic performance, albeit based on relatively short timeframe.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic health is its unemployment rate. Chad’s jobless rate averaged 1.1% for 2025, mirroring the average 1.1% in 2024 according to Trading Economics metrics.

Chad’s capital city is N’Djamena.

See also Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Uganda’s Top 10 Exports, Somalia’s Top 10 Exports and Top African Export Countries

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: Chad. Accessed on October 14, 2026

FlagPictures.org, Flag of Chad. Accessed on October 14, 2026

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 14, 2026

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 14, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 14, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 14, 2026

Wikipedia, Chad. Accessed on October 14, 2026

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Chad. Accessed on October 14, 2026