That dollar amount results from a 15.9% increase compared to $1.12 billion 5 years earlier in 2019.
Year over year, revenues from Tajikistani exports plunged by -44.5% starting from $2.33 billion for 2022.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2023, the Tajikistani somoni depreciated by -13.8% against the US dollar since 2019 but increased by 1.7% from 2022 to 2023. Tajikistan’s weaker local currency since 2019 makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.
Tajikistan’s most valuable exported products are uncarded and uncombed cotton, precious metal ores and concentrates, unwrought aluminum, metalloid element antimony, then electrical energy.
Given Tajikistan’s population of 10 million people, its total $1.3 billion in 2023 exports translates to roughly $130 for every resident in the Central Asian country. That per-capita metric lags the average $240 for 2022.
Tajikistan’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Tajikistani global shipments during 2023. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Tajikistan.
- Ores, slag, ash: US$378.2 million (29.2% of total exports)
- Cotton: $249.8 million (19.3%)
- Aluminum: $148.4 million (11.5%)
- Other base metals: $107 million (8.3%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $103.9 million (8%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $38.5 million (3%)
- Fruits, nuts: $38.2 million (3%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $34.2 million (2.6%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $23.9 million (1.8%)
- Inorganic chemicals: $23.2 million (1.8%)
Tajikistan’s top 10 export product categories generated 88.6% of the overall value of Tajikistani global shipments.
Electrical machinery and equipment was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 1,023% from 2022 to 2023.
In second place for improving export sales were inorganic chemicals which rose 157%.
Tajikistan’s shipments of unknitted nor non-crocheted clothing and accessories posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 10.3% year over year.
The leading decliner among Tajikistan’s top 10 export categories was ores, slag and ash which fell -48.3%, pulled down by lesser revenues notably for zinc, precious metals and lead ores or concentrates.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, uncarded and uncombed cotton represents Tajikistan’s most valuable exported product (15.4% of the Tajikistani total). In second place were precious metal ores and concentrates (11.4%) trailed by unwrought aluminum (10.2%), antimony (8.3%), electrical energy (7.5%), lead ores and concentrates (7.1%), zinc ores and concentrates (5.6%), copper ores and concentrates (3.8%), mostly cotton yarn (3%) then hydraulic cements (2.7%).
Tajikistan’s Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 98% of products exported from Tajikistan was bought by importers in: mainland China (24.2% of the Tajikistani total), Kazakhstan (19.7%), Türkiye (12.8%), Uzbekistan (11.7%), Russia (10.4%), Iran (7.7%), Afghanistan (6.2%), United Arab Emirates (1.8%), Italy (1.2%), British Virgin Islands (1%), Singapore (0.8%) and Belarus (0.5%).
From a continental perspective, 85.9% of Tajikistan exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 13% was sold to fellow European importers. Tajikistan shipped another 1.1% worth of goods to British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean plus Argentina in Latin America.
Tinier percentages went to United States in North America (0.02%), then Africa led by South Africa (0.01%).
Products Creating Trading Surpluses for Tajikistan
The following types of Tajikistani 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.
- Ores, slag, ash: US$375.4 million (Down by -48.5% since 2022)
- Cotton: $247 million (Up by 0.5%)
- Aluminum: $116.8 million (Down by -15.3%)
- Other base metals: $106.5 million (Up by 4.3%)
- Copper: $19.5 million (Reversing a -$1.6 million deficit)
- Lead: $11.7 million (Up by 1.5%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $10.5 million (Down by -15%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $10.3 million (Down by -56.6%)
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $5.2 million (Up by 37.5%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $3.5 million (Reversing an -$8.4 million deficit)
Tajikistan has highly positive net exports in the international trade of precious metal, copper and zinc ores and concentrates. In turn, these cashflows is a leading factor in Tajikistan’s strong competitive advantages under the ores, slag and ash product category.
Products Causing Trading Deficits for Tajikistan
Overall, Tajikistan incurred a -US$4.4 billion product trade deficit for 2023 up by 54.6% from -$2.85 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2022.
Below are exports from Tajikistan that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Tajikistan’s goods trail Tajikistani importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$853.5 million (Down by -2% since 2022)
- Vehicles: -$745.5 million (Up by 86.3%)
- Machinery including computers: -$493.1 million (Up by 25.5%)
- Cereals: -$332.7 million (Down by -9.3%)
- Iron, steel: -$310.5 million (Down by -0.1%)
- Wood: -$247.1 million (Up by 15.1%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$212.5 million (Down by -0.9%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$174.4 million (Up by 0.9%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$141.2 million (Down by -18.3%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$135.7 million (Up by 27.7%)
Tajikistan has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits particularly for refined petroleum oils and petroleum gas under the mineral fuels-related products category.
Tajikistan’s Export Companies
Not one Tajikistani corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Tajikistan. Selected examples are shown below.
- First MicroFinance Bank-Tajikistan (commercial bank)
- Somon Air (airliner)
- Tajik Aluminium Company (aluminum manufacturing)
In macroeconomic terms, Tajikistan’s total exported goods represent 2.5% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2023 ($50.9 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 2.5% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2023 compares to 4.8% for 2022. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Tajikistan’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Tajikistan’s unemployment rate averaged 6.9% for 2023, down from an average 7% jobless rate one year earlier according to Trading Economics metrics.
Tajikistan’s capital city is Dushanbe.
See also Kazakhstan’s Top 10 Exports, Turkey’s Top 10 Exports, Uzbekistan’s Top 10 Exports and Russia’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on December 9, 2024
International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (Domestic Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on December 9, 2024
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on December 9, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Category:Companies of Tajikistan. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Flag of Tajikistan. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on December 9, 2024
Wikipedia, Tajikistan. Accessed on December 9, 2024