Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s total export of goods and services rose by 10.2 percent last year, thanks to gold, manufactured goods, tobacco, and coffee which shipment improved during the period.
According to the January 2026 Monthly Economic Review published by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), export earnings climbed to $17.6 billion in 2025, up from $15.97 billion in 2024.
The increase was largely driven by gold, travel services, manufactured goods and traditional exports.
Exports of goods rose to $10.28 billion in 2025 from $9.12 billion the previous year while gold remained the standout performer, accounting for 45.7 percent of total goods exports.
Gold export earnings jumped by 37.4 percent to $4.7 billion, supported by favourable global prices and increased production.
The BoT noted that the precious metal was the single largest contributor to export growth during the year.
“Gold exports, which accounted for 45.7 percent of total goods exports, benefited from favourable global prices and increased production,” the central bank said.
Manufactured goods also recorded solid growth, with export receipts rising to $1.55 billion from $1.34 billion in 2024.
Tobacco and coffee exports similarly contributed to the overall improvement in goods exports.
Services receipts maintained a strong trajectory, increasing to $7.32 billion in 2025 from $6.85 billion in 2024.
The growth was mainly attributed to higher earnings from travel and transport services.
Travel receipts reached $3.95 billion, up from $3.9 billion in 2024, in line with a 7.1 percent rise in international tourist arrivals to 2,294,495 visitors.
Transport service earnings climbed to $2.8 billion from $2.35 billion, reflecting a 34 percent increase in freight income from transit goods.
On a monthly basis, services receipts amounted to $626.1 million in December 2025, compared to $696.7 million in December 2024.
On the import side, the value of goods and services increased by 4.9 percent to $17.83 billion in 2025 from $16.99 billion in 2024.
The rise was driven by higher imports of industrial supplies, freight services, transport equipment and machinery — largely capital and intermediate goods supporting the country’s industrialisation drive.
Oil imports, however, declined by 6.7 percent to $2.38 billion from $2.55 billion, reflecting moderation in global oil prices.
Goods imports stood at $1.38 billion in December 2025, slightly higher than $1.34 billion recorded in December 2024.
Meanwhile, services payments rose by 12.5 percent to $3.14 billion in 2025, largely due to increased freight payments in line with higher import volumes.
The stronger export performance contributed to an improvement in the external sector, with the current account deficit narrowing to $2.02 billion in 2025 from $2.38 billion in 2024.
Foreign exchange reserves rose to $6.33 billion at the end of December 2025, up from $5.55 billion a year earlier.
The reserves were sufficient to cover 4.9 months of projected imports of goods and services, exceeding both national and East African Community benchmarks.
The BoT said the improvement in the external position was mainly supported by robust growth in goods and services exports, particularly gold, relative to import bills dominated by capital and intermediate goods linked to production and investment activities.
Register to begin your journey to our premium contentSubscribe for full access to premium content
