Djibouti’s fuel exports was 1% of merchandise exports in 2023.

Neither way is good in itself. A higher share means fuel makes up more of what the country sells abroad as goods, and a lower share means it makes up less. Which is preferable depends on what else the country sells. The latest figure, for 2023, is 1% of merchandise exports, down 0.25 percentage points from 1.2% of merchandise exports a year earlier. Since 1986 the share has ranged from 0.01% of merchandise exports in 1987 to 6.5% of merchandise exports in 2009. The current level sits near the bottom of that range.

Why it matters. Fuel is a small slice of Djibouti's goods exports, so the country's merchandise earnings depend very little on fuel prices or fuel volumes. Exporters of other goods account for almost all of the goods revenue that reaches firms and the state. A rise back towards the 2009 level would make fuel a more visible part of that revenue.