The deficit in the Sudanese trade balance in 2025 reached the level of $3.8 billion, according to the statistical report on foreign trade issued by the Central Bank of Sudan. This figure reflects the continued large discrepancy between the volume of exports and imports, despite a noticeable improvement in 2024.
These numbers clearly show the Sudanese economy’s continued dependence on importing basic and capital goods, in exchange for the weak volume of exports, which contributes to the exacerbation of the ongoing trade deficit.
During the past year, the value of Sudanese exports amounted to $2.64 billion, while the value of imports amounted to $6.49 billion, leading to a trade deficit of $3.86 billion, according to the Sudanese “Al-Mashhad” website.
The bank indicated that exports relied mainly on gold, agricultural and animal products. The value of gold exports alone amounted to $1.536 billion for a quantity of 14.7 tons, while the country’s total production of gold reached 70 tons, which indicates the presence of smuggling of large quantities outside official channels.
On the other hand, Sudan imported foodstuffs worth $1.8 billion, including wheat, flour, and sugar, in addition to imports of petroleum products worth $807 million, chemical products worth about $780 million, manufactured goods worth $949 million, machinery and equipment worth about $904 million, textiles worth $357 million, and means of transportation worth about $676 million.
