The economy of Ivory Coast: drivers, trade and currency
What the economy of Ivory Coast covers
The economy of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) rests on export agriculture, notably cocoa and cashew nuts, on a dominant services sector and on a developing industrial base. The country, the world's leading cocoa producer according to the World Bank, belongs to the West African Economic and Monetary Union and uses the CFA franc. Abidjan concentrates about 80% of the country's economic activity, according to the French Treasury.
Growth, inflation and development plans
Real gross domestic product growth averages 6.5% from 2021 to 2023, then 6.3% in 2024 and 6.3% in 2025, according to the World Bank. Inflation remains very low in 2025, at 0.1%. The country is the largest economy of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, producing about 40% of its gross domestic product, according to the French Treasury.
The state conducts its action through successive national development plans. The 2021-2025 plan represented about 59,000 billion CFA francs of investment, or nearly 100 billion dollars. The 2026-2030 plan is endowed with 206 billion dollars, with the ambition of creating four million decent jobs, according to the World Bank.
Economic sectors and raw materials
According to the World Bank, services account for 53.9% of value added in 2024, ahead of industry (22.1%) and agriculture (17.9%). Agriculture nonetheless remains the foundation of exports. The country is the world's leading producer of cocoa and cashew nuts, and about 30% of cashew production is processed locally. Coffee is also among the export crops.
Industry covers agri-food, construction and public works, energy and extractive activities. The latter has broadened with the start of production at the Baleine oil and gas field in August 2023. Gold completes the range of mineral products exported.
External trade and foreign investors
Trade in goods with France, a historic partner, reached 3,910.9 million euros in 2025, according to French Customs: 1,641.2 million euros of French exports and 2,269.7 million euros of imports from Ivory Coast.
On the investment side, the International Finance Corporation has committed more than 2.4 billion dollars in the country over five years, and the World Bank's active portfolio stands at 5.2 billion dollars across 26 projects. According to the Banque de France, the stock of French direct investment amounts to 2,053 million euros in 2024. In 2023, 281 subsidiaries of French companies employ 29,474 people.
Currency and the economy of Ivory Coast in WAEMU
The currency is the CFA franc (XOF), issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), whose governor is Jean-Claude Kassi Brou. One euro is worth 655.957 CFA francs, a fixed parity shown at the rate of 11 November 2026.
Ivory Coast belongs to the West African Monetary Union, whose member states share this currency and this central bank, and to the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which organises the commercial and economic integration of its members.