Ghana flag (FlagPictures.org)

A West African nation that shares its southern coastline with the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, the Republic of Ghana shipped US$22.3 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.

That calculated dollar amount results from a 50.6% acceleration compared to the $14.8 billion worth of exported goods five years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, total sales of Ghana’s exports gained 8.5% from $20.6 billion in international sales during 2024.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Ghanaian cedi strengthened by 52% against the US dollar since 2021 and decreased by -16.4% from 2024 to 2025. Ghana’s stronger local currency compared to 2021 made Ghanian exports paid for in weaker US dollars relatively more expensive for international buyers starting from American currency.

The latest available country-specific data shows that 84.3% of products exported from Ghana was bought by importers in: United Arab Emirates (20.4% of the Ghanian total), Switzerland (20.2%), South Africa (12.2%), mainland China (7.3%), India (6.7%), Netherlands (4%), Canada (3.4%), Burkina Faso (2.5%), United States of America (2.4%), Italy (2%), Spain (1.7%) and Brazil (1.6%).

From a continental perspective, 38.5% of Ghana’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 33.6% were sold to importers in Europe.

Ghana shipped another 20.3% worth of goods to fellow African trade partners.

Smaller percentages went to North America (5.8%), Latin America (1.8%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly New Zealand and Australia.

Given Ghana’s population of 35.1 million people, its total US$22.3 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $650 for every resident in the West African country. That dollar metric surpasses the average $460 per capita for 2024.

Ghana’s top 10 exports accounted for 95.2% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Cocoa including cocoa preparation represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 199% from 2024 to 2025.

In second place for improving export sales was ores, slag and ash via a 103.1% advance led by manganese ores and concentrates.

Ghana’s shipments of fruits and nuts posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 67.6%.

The leading decliner among Ghana’s top 10 export categories was gems and precious metals, thanks to a -19.5% year-over-year drop precipitated in large part by lower revenues for unwrought gold.

At the more detailed four-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level, Ghana’s most valuable export product is gold (41.1% of overall Ghanian exports). In second place were cocoa beans (26.8%) trailed by crude oil (17.5%), cocoa paste (2.7%), cocoa butter, fats and oils (also 2.7%), manganese ores or concentrates (1%), cashew nuts and coconuts (also 1%), processed petroleum oils (0.9%), cocoa powder with no sugar added (0.8%), then natural rubber (0.7%).

The following types of Ghanaian 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.

Overall Ghana incurred an estimated -US$764.5 million product trade deficit for 2025. That deficit represents a reversal from $3.1 billion in black ink from one year earlier in 2024.

Below are exports from Ghana that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Ghana’s goods trail Ghanaian importer spending on foreign products.

Not one Ghanaian corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.

Wikipedia lists some exports-related companies from Ghana. Selected examples are shown below.

 
In macroeconomic terms, Ghana’s total exported goods represent 7.6% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($295.1 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 7.6% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 5.7% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Ghana’s total economic performance, albeit based on relatively short timeframe.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Ghana’s unemployment rate averaged 3% in 2025, up from an average 2.8% for 2024 per Trading Economics metrics.

Ghana’s capital city is Accra.

See also South Sudan’s Top 10 Exports, Angola’s Top 10 Exports, Switzerland’s Top Trading Partners, Top South African Trading Partners and Top African Export Countries

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: Ghana. Accessed on May 23, 2026

EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) to US Dollar (USD). Accessed on May 23, 2026

FlagPictures.org, Flag of Ghana. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Forbes 2025 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 23, 2026

International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (Domestic Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on May 23, 2026

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on May 23, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Wikipedia, Ghana. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Ghana. Accessed on May 23, 2026

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on May 23, 2026