Anchor sector
Oil & gas services
Sonatrach's upstream and LNG programmes drive demand for drilling technology, compression, maintenance and digital field services.
Country Profile — Arab-America International Expo 2027
Profile content in preparationPeople's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Africa's largest country, Europe's gas neighbour.
The largest country in Africa by land area, a top global gas exporter, and a 46-million-person market opening steadily to foreign industrial partnership.
Country at a glance
- GDP
- ≈ $260 billion (nominal)
- Population
- ≈ 46.2 million
- Currency
- Algerian Dinar (DZD)
- Capital
- Algiers
- Economic growth
- ≈ 3.8% real GDP growth
Statistics year: 2024 (latest full-year data)
Overview
Energy wealth funding industrial diversification
Algeria holds some of the largest natural gas reserves in Africa and is a principal pipeline and LNG supplier to southern Europe, giving it substantial and stable export earnings.
The government is channelling that revenue into industrial localisation: pharmaceuticals, automotive assembly, steel, cement, fertilizers and food processing, with a strong preference for partners who manufacture domestically.
A 2022 investment law modernised the framework for foreign investors, removing the blanket local-majority requirement outside strategic sectors and creating a single investment agency.
- Capital
- Algiers
- Population
- ≈ 46.2 million (2024)
- Land area
- 2.38 million km² — largest in Africa
- Language
- Arabic and Amazigh; French in business
- Currency
- Algerian Dinar (DZD)
- Membership
- OPEC, Arab League, African Union, AfCFTA
- Main ports
- Algiers, Oran, Skikda, Béjaïa
- Time zone
- GMT +1
Economy
Hydrocarbon strength, industrial ambition
Oil and gas dominate exports and public finances, while a deliberate localisation policy builds domestic manufacturing capacity.
$0B
GDP (nominal, 2024)
Among the three largest African economies
0 bcm+
Natural gas exports
Pipeline and LNG, mainly to Europe
0M
Population
A large domestic consumer market
0 GW
Renewables target by 2035
Solar-led national programme
Oil & natural gasSonatrach, pipeline and LNG exports
Construction & public worksHousing, roads, rail, dams
Agriculture & food processingCereals, dates, dairy
PharmaceuticalsStrong localisation policy
Steel, cement & materialsTosyali, Bethioua and others
MiningIron ore, phosphates, zinc
Renewable energySolar tenders under way
Priority sectors
Where Algerian buyers and partners are looking
Sectors where Algerian state groups and private industrialists seek foreign technology, equipment and joint ventures.
Localisation
Pharmaceuticals
A national policy to manufacture locally has built one of Africa's largest generics industries, seeking technology transfer partners.
Food security
Agriculture & agri-industry
Large-scale grain, dairy and Saharan agriculture projects requiring irrigation systems, machinery and processing lines.
Emerging
Mining & minerals
The Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit and phosphate projects opening to international operators.
Clean energy
Renewable energy
Multi-gigawatt solar tenders and green-hydrogen ambitions linked to European demand.
Industry
Automotive assembly
A relaunched framework for vehicle assembly and parts manufacturing with local-content requirements.
Economic diversification
From hydrocarbon rents to industrial output
Algeria's policy agenda centres on raising non-hydrocarbon exports, substituting imports through domestic manufacturing and expanding renewables.
- 2022
New investment law
A modernised framework and a single investment agency (AAPI) for foreign investors.
- 2023
Non-hydrocarbon export push
Record non-oil exports as fertilizer, steel and cement capacity comes online.
- 2024
Gara Djebilet phase one
First production from one of the world's largest untapped iron ore deposits.
- 2035
Renewables target
15 GW of installed renewable capacity, predominantly solar.
Major development projects
Major national development projects
Large state-led programmes with international supplier participation.
Gara Djebilet iron ore
A giant western Saharan iron ore project with associated rail and processing infrastructure.
Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline
A long-planned pipeline linking Nigerian gas to Algeria and onward to Europe.
Solar 3000 programme
Multi-gigawatt utility-scale solar tenders across the high plateaus and the Sahara.
Port of El Hamdania
A planned deep-water container port west of Algiers designed as a regional transhipment hub.
Saharan agriculture programme
Large irrigated farming concessions for cereals, oilseeds and sugar in the south.
US – Algeria trade
Energy exports, American equipment and grain
The United States is a long-standing supplier of energy technology and agricultural commodities to Algeria, and American majors hold upstream positions in the country.
Top exports to the world
Natural gas & LNGPrincipal export to Europe
Crude oil & condensates
Fertilizers & petrochemicals
Steel, cement & minerals
Top imports
Cereals & food commodities
Machinery & industrial equipment
Pharmaceuticals & inputs
Vehicles & parts
Leading products to the United States
- Crude oil and condensates
- LNG
- Fertilizers
- Petrochemicals
Leading products from the United States
- Wheat, corn and soybeans
- Oilfield equipment and services
- Aircraft and parts
- Pharmaceuticals
- Industrial machinery
- American energy majors hold long-term upstream positions in Algerian gas
- One of the largest wheat and corn import markets in the Arab world
- Local-manufacturing incentives favour partners who transfer technology
Bilateral goods trade — 2024
Trade with the United States
Verified full-year bilateral merchandise trade between Algeria and the United States, reported from Algeria's perspective.
Total U.S. goods trade
$3.6B
2024
Exports to the United States
$2.4B
2024
Imports from the United States
$1.2B
2024
Trade balance
$1.2B
Surplus for Algeria
2024
Exports vs. imports — 2024
Algeria exports to the United States$2.4B
Algeria imports from the United States$1.2B
Exports to the US Imports from the US
Algeria records a goods surplus with the United States, based on hydrocarbon and fertilizer exports, while importing American grain, energy-sector machinery and pharmaceuticals.
Scope of these figures
These figures represent merchandise trade only and do not include services.
Data source
- U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division — country trade data (full year 2024)
- Office of the United States Trade Representative — country trade fact sheets
Statistical year: 2024
Leading exports to the United States
- Crude and refined petroleum
- Natural gas and LNG
- Fertilizers and chemicals
- Dates and foodstuffs
Leading imports from the United States
- Cereals, especially corn and wheat
- Oil and gas field machinery
- Vehicles and parts
- Pharmaceuticals
- Electrical equipment
Culture & tourism
Roman cities, Saharan massifs and the Mediterranean
A vast and under-visited country with seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Capital
Algiers & the Casbah
An Ottoman-era hilltop citadel above a French-colonial waterfront.
Northeast
Timgad & Djémila
Two of the best-preserved Roman cities in North Africa.
Sahara
Tassili n'Ajjer
A sandstone plateau with thousands of prehistoric rock paintings.
Northern Sahara
Ghardaïa & the M'zab Valley
Five fortified 11th-century towns with distinctive architecture.
Northwest coast
Oran
A Mediterranean port city and the home of raï music.
Why invest
Why American companies look at Algeria
Scale, energy and a policy environment that rewards manufacturing on the ground.
01
Market size
Over 46 million consumers, the third-largest domestic market in the Arab world.
02
Energy costs
Among the lowest industrial gas and electricity prices in the world.
03
Investment law reform
The 2022 framework removed the general 51/49 requirement outside strategic sectors.
04
African access
AfCFTA membership plus land and sea routes into the Sahel and West Africa.
At the Expo
Algeria at AAIX 2027
The Algeria pavilion focuses on industrial joint ventures, energy technology and agricultural supply.
- Sonatrach and energy-services supplier meetings
- Pharmaceutical and industrial technology-transfer briefings
- Agricultural machinery and irrigation partner introductions
- AAPI investment law and incentives clinic
World heritage
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Algeria
Sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a core part of the country's cultural and tourism offer.
Casbah of Algiers
An Ottoman medina overlooking the Mediterranean.
Timgad
A Roman colonial town founded by Trajan, laid out on a perfect grid.
Djémila
A Roman mountain city adapted to steep terrain.
Tipasa
Phoenician, Roman and early Christian ruins on the coast.
Tassili n'Ajjer
One of the most important prehistoric rock-art collections in the world.
M'zab Valley
Five fortified Ibadi towns that influenced 20th-century architecture.
Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad
The ruined 11th-century capital of the Hammadid dynasty.
Business opportunities
Opportunities for Arab and American companies
How companies from different markets can engage with Algeria through the Expo.
For American companies
Supply oilfield technology, agricultural equipment and pharmaceutical technology transfer into a market that prioritises local production.
For Arab companies
Joint ventures in food processing, construction materials and logistics serving a very large domestic market.
For international investors
Mining concessions, solar tenders and the El Hamdania port programme offer large-ticket entry points.
Represent Algeria at Arab-America International Expo 2027
Present your country's economy, industries, products, investment opportunities, tourism destinations and culture to the American and North American markets.
Reserve space in the Algerian pavilion, or register as an American supplier to meet Algerian state groups and industrialists.
Sources & data
- Office National des Statistiques (Algeria)
- Bank of Algeria
- Agence Algérienne de Promotion de l'Investissement (AAPI)
- Sonatrach public disclosures
- World Bank World Development Indicators
- IMF World Economic Outlook
- U.S. Census Bureau / USTR trade statistics
- UN Comtrade
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Last updated: August 2026