Comoros

Comoros is a volcanic archipelago located off the east coast of Africa, in the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. The largest island of this nation-state, Grande Comore (Ngazidja), is surrounded by beaches and volcanic rock from the still active Karthala volcano

General presentation

Official name: Union of the Comoros
Type of regime : presidential
Surface area: 1,862 km2 (1,862 sq mi)
Capital: Moroni
Main cities: Moroni (Grande Comore), Moutsamoudou (Anjouan), Fomboni (Moheli)

Official language(s): Comorian, French, Arabic

National holiday: July 6 (independence in 1975)
Population: 850,886 (World Bank, 2019)
Density: 465 inhabitants/km2 (World Bank, 2019)
Population growth: 2.2% (World Bank, 2018) Literacy rate
(population aged 15-24): 86% (Unicef, 2008 – 2012)

Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs

Economic situation

Comoros was admitted to the lower middle-income country category in 2019. However, a quarter of its population lives below the national poverty line (World Bank 2020) and per capita income remains low. The country ranks 156 out of 189 in terms of the Human Development Index (2019).
The Comorian economy is characterized by:
Agriculture, which accounts for 33% of GDP (2017), is based on three main products: vanilla, cloves, and ylang-ylang.
Industry (12% of GDP) is underdeveloped.
Services (55% of GDP) correspond mainly to trade and hotel-restaurant activities.
In this configuration, the rate of growth of GDP, at around 2.9
percent per year between 2010 and 2019, has been too low to
absorb population growth (estimated at 2.4 percent).
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs

Bilateral Relations

Bilateral investment treaties

Work in process

Double taxation agreements

Work in process

Free trade agreements

Work in process

Leading sector for Swiss companies

Work in process

Indicators

201620172018 E2019 E
GDP (in billions of USD)0.610.660.750.75
GDP per capita (USD)763788877854
Growth rate2.22.72.82.8
Unemployment rate19.9610.6
Inflation rate1.81.02.02.0
Public debt (% of GDP)27.67432.37328.99130.526
Budget balance (% of GDP)-7.18
Current account balance (% of GDP)-7.4-4.2-9.2-10.1

(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)

Main customers

France 34.1% Singapore 12.7%, Netherlands 11.9%, Germany 5.4%
Source Comtrade

Main suppliers

2018 : France 21,6%, E-A-U 21,0%, Madagascar 13,0%, Pakistan 8,3%.
Source Comtrade

Swiss exports to

Work in process

Exports of …. to Switzerland

Work in process

Swiss direct investment in

Work in process

The business climate

Work in process