Tokelau

📊 Overview

Tokelau stands as the world's #191 largest exporter and #224 largest importer, demonstrating emerging market dynamics.

The trade profile reveals a robust surplus of 146.62 million, indicating strong export competitiveness.

The country maintains active trading relationships with 20 major partners, creating a highly diversified trade network.

Monthly trade flows average $14.56M, generating continuous economic activity across logistics, finance, and trade services.

🚢 Export Markets

Export concentration shows Czechia as the dominant market at 91.8%. The top three markets control 95.1% of exports.

Regional patterns reveal globally balanced access. Secondary markets (Spain, Malaysia, France) provide $2.14M in additional trade.

📦 Import Sources

Tokelau relies heavily on Samoa for imports (30.8%),creating supply chain concentration risk.

Manufacturing inputs come primarily from Malaysia, Indonesia, reflecting deep integration into Asian production networks.

The USA provides 154.90 thousand (1.1%) in imports, concentrated in agricultural products, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and advanced technology.The top 10 import sources account for 98.1% of total imports, with the remaining 2% distributed among 10 other suppliers.

Regional sourcing patterns reveal strong ASEAN integration with 4 Southeast Asian nations providing 209.45 thousand (1.5%) of imports. European suppliers including Italy (3.19M), France (2.96M), Netherlands (2.31M) focus on luxury goods, machinery, and specialized chemicals.

Supply chain resilience strategies increasingly emphasize "China Plus One" approaches, with emerging as alternative manufacturing bases. The geographic proximity of major suppliers balances efficiency with risk diversification.

📦 Product Composition

🚀 Export Products

Tokelau's export economy centers on automotive manufacturing, with the leading export being with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, incapable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric powerat $121.72 million, accounting for 75.7% of total exports.

Vehicle-related products including passenger cars, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and automotive parts total approximately 146.94 million or 91.4% of exports, encompassing 2 distinct product categories. Electronics, semiconductors, and machinery contribute 4.54 million or 2.8% of exports.

The automotive sector's dominance is evident in the export portfolio, with with both spark-ignition internal combustion recip... (121.72M), with only spark-ignition internal combustion recip... (25.22M), electrical, (excluding articles of heading no. 853... (236,145). This automotive specialization reflects decades of manufacturing excellence, continuous innovation in fuel efficiency and hybrid technology, and established global brand recognition.

The transition to electric and hybrid vehicles is captured in export data, with 3 categories specifically related to alternative propulsion systems, totaling $122.16M.

Beyond automotive, Tokelau maintains strong positions in industrial machinery (2 categories totaling 328,935), electronic components (4.21M), and Kitchen and toilet linen, Iron or steel, Medicaments.

The top 20 export products collectively account for 96.9% of total exports, revealing moderate concentration with room for further diversification.

🛒 Import Products

Energy dominates Tokelau's import profile, with fossil fuels accounting for 1.56 million or 11.1% of total imports. Crude oil leads at 1.56 million (11.1%), followed by natural gas and coal. This energy import dependency shapes economic policy, inflation dynamics, and strategic relationships with supplier nations.

Beyond energy, critical imports include processors and controllers, whether or n... (2.79M, 19.8%), for agglomerating, shaping or moulding s... (2.73M, 19.4%), of a thrust exceeding 25kN (1.01M, 7.2%), diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a b... (629,096, 4.5%), using optical radiations (UV, visible, I... (441,013, 3.1%).Electronic components and devices total 3.19 million (22.6% of imports), supporting domestic manufacturing and assembly operations.

The import product mix reveals structural characteristics of Tokelau's economy: integration into global electronics supply chains, and sophisticated consumption patterns.

The ratio of raw materials to finished goods in imports (5 : 15among top 20 products) indicates balanced import composition. Import substitution potential exists in technology sectors through targeted industrial policies and investment.

Product diversification metrics reveal focused product specializationwith implications for economic resilience and growth potential. The technology ladder progression from 2 primary products to 8 high-tech goods indicates the economy's structural transformation and industrial upgrading trajectory.

Value addition opportunities exist in transitioning from raw material exports to processed goods, from components to finished products, and from standard to customized offerings. The product space connectivity, measuring relatedness between current exports and potential new products, suggests strong potential for diversification into adjacent sophisticated products.

⚖️ Trade Balance Dynamics

Export-to-import ratio of 11.415 means exports cover 1141.5% of import costs.

🔗 Key Relationships

The Tokelau-Czechia relationship leads at 147.59 million in bilateral trade.View detailed analysis →

Additional major partnerships include Singapore (3.87M total trade), France (3.31M total trade), Italy (3.19M total trade). Regional integration through Asian supply chains facilitates technology transfer, market access, and production efficiency. The diversity of trading relationships—169.30M across top 10 partners—provides resilience against bilateral tensions and regional disruptions.

🏆 Competitive Position

Global rankings position Tokelau as the #191 exporter worldwide,in the developing trader category. The country's share of global exports at approximately 0.002%offers opportunities for market share expansion.

Export sophistication, measured by the dominance of technology-intensive products, indicates advanced industrial capabilities. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index shows strongest competitiveness in sectors where Tokelau's global market share exceeds its overall trade share by factors of 2 or more.

Competitive advantages emerge in sectors where export concentration exceeds import share, particularly inwith both spark-ignition , with only spark-ignition , parts. The revealed comparative advantage is strongest in product categories representing93.7% of exports. Market positioning against regional competitors shows niche specialization opportunities.

Trade complementarity with major partners suggests regional production network participation. The export quality ladder, comparing unit values to world averages, indicates competitive pricing strategies.

Competitive dynamics are shaped by factor endowments including cost advantages and resource availability, infrastructure quality, and business environment. The export survival rate, measuring the persistence of export relationships over time, suggests need for relationship strengthening.

Innovation capacity, reflected in the technology content of exports and R&D intensity, determines long-term competitiveness trajectories. The competitive threat from emerging exporters in similar product categories requires continuous upgrading and differentiation strategies to maintain market position. Regional integration through trade agreements provides preferential access to0 markets, creating competitive advantages over non-member competitors.

🎯 Strategic Outlook

The trade profile presents both opportunities and challenges for economic development strategy. Key strengths include consistent trade surpluses supporting macroeconomic stability,diversified market access reducing concentration risk, and competitive positions in high-value manufacturing.

Vulnerabilities include excessive reliance on single export markets. The intersection of these factors creates a complex strategic landscape requiring careful navigation to maximize opportunities while mitigating risks.

Strategic priorities should focus on market diversification and value chain upgrading to enhance trade competitiveness. Opportunities exist in expanding trade with Colombia, Angola, USA, developing new product capabilities in adjacent product categories, and strengthening regional integration through new partnership frameworks.

The digital transformation of trade, including e-commerce, digital services, and blockchain-based trade finance, offers new avenues for market access and efficiency gains. Green trade opportunities in renewable energy, sustainable products, and carbon markets represent growing segments aligned with global sustainability goals.

The evolving global trade environment, characterized by technological disruption, geopolitical realignment, and sustainability imperatives, will fundamentally reshape Tokelau's trade prospects. Success requires balanced policies addressing both maintaining export competitiveness while managing currency appreciation pressures.

Investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation ecosystems will determine the ability to climb value chains and capture larger shares of global value addition. The resilience agenda, emphasizing supply chain robustness, strategic autonomy in critical sectors, and economic security considerations, must be balanced with efficiency and openness principles.

As global trade patterns continue evolving, Tokelau's position as the world's #191 exporter provides a platform for continued growth, requiring adaptive strategies, institutional strengthening, and sustained commitment to competitiveness enhancement in an increasingly complex and interconnected global economy.