Wednesday, 23 July 2025

US vs China: Mapping Trade Dominance In Africa


China has steadily expanded its global trade footprint and now surpasses the U.S. as the leading trading partner in many regions around the world.

In Africa, for instance, China overtook the U.S. as the continentโ€™s top trading partner back in 2009โ€”a position it continues to hold today.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Kayla Zhu, visualizes whether each African country trades with the U.S. or China more in 2003 versus 2023.

Data comes from the Observatory of Economic Complexity and UN Comtrade via the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2023 or the latest data available was used.

African Countries Are Choosing China over the States

Below, we show which country (U.S. or China) each African country traded with more in 2003 versus 2023.

Country Trades more with? (2003) Trades more with? (2023)
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algeria ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ด Angola ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฏ Benin ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผ Botswana ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซ Burkina Faso ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎ Burundi ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Cameroon ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ป Cape Verde ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ซ Central African Republic ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉ Chad ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Comoros ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Republic of the Congo ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Democratic Republic of the Congo ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Djibouti ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ Egypt ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถ Equatorial Guinea ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ท Eritrea ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Eswatini ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น Ethiopia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Gabon ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฒ The Gambia ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ Ghana ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณ Guinea ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ผ Guinea-Bissau ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Cรดte d'Ivoire ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ช Kenya ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ Lesotho ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ท Liberia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พ Libya ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Madagascar ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผ Malawi ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Mali ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ท Mauritania ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡บ Mauritius ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Morocco ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Mozambique ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Namibia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ช Niger ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nigeria ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ผ Rwanda ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡น Sรฃo Tomรฉ & Prรญncipe ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณ Senegal ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จ Seychelles ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Sierra Leone ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ด Somalia ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ South Africa ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธ South Sudan ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Sudan ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟ Tanzania ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฌ Togo ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ณ Tunisia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Uganda ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Zambia ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ Zimbabwe ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China

In 2003, China was the preferred trading partner over the U.S. for 18 African countries or 35% of the continent.

Fast forward 20 years, 52 out of the 54 African countries (97%) trade more with China than with the U.S. as of 2023.

China-Africa trade climbed to $295 billion in 2024, marking a 6% year-on-year increase.

Beyond trade, China has also increased its foreign direct investment (FDI) into the continent, with annual FDI flows rising from about $75 million in 2003 to nearly $4 billion in 2023, focusing on sectors like agriculture, light manufacturing, and services.

China has proactively sought to improve China-Africa relations through major initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on Chinaโ€“Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which are designed to boost trade by investing in infrastructure, streamlining trade processes, and strengthening African value chains.

However, China has also faced criticism for alleged โ€œdebt-trap diplomacy,โ€ a practice in which it is accused of providing loans to countries that may struggle to repay them, including many of Africaโ€™s poorest countries.

To learn more about Chinaโ€™s trade relations, check out this graphic that visualizes the countryโ€™s exports by region from 2000 to 2022.


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