Comoros Economy Explained: Perfume Crops, Diaspora Cash and Mayotte
Key Facts
- The country. The Union of the Comoros is three volcanic islands between Mozambique and Madagascar, home to about 883,000 people, roughly the population of San Francisco, according to the World Bank.
- Why it matters. Its whole economy produced about US$1.8 billion in 2025, roughly US$2,060 a head. Many perfume houses still depend on its ylang-ylang flower oil, and France sits next door on Mayotte.
- Why now. In September 2026 the islands switched on their first large solar plants, and the president again claimed French-held Mayotte at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
- What happened. Growth reached about 3.8 per cent in 2025, the fastest in years, World Bank data show. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects about 4.1 per cent in 2026.
- The numbers. Money sent home by Comorians abroad equalled about 21 per cent of GDP in 2023. Public debt was about 30 per cent of GDP in 2025, IMF data show.
- What it means for you. The Comorian franc is pegged to the euro, so prices are stable. Power cuts, few flights and a small market remain the main hurdles for visitors and investors.
- Still open. Whether solar power ends chronic outages, whether perfume makers keep buying natural ylang-ylang, and whether the Mayotte dispute with France hardens further.
Three small islands grow much of the world’s perfume oil, live on money from relatives abroad, and claim a fourth island that France holds.
The Comoros economy is one of Africa’s smallest: three volcanic islands with about 883,000 people and output of roughly US$1.8 billion. Yet the archipelago supplies, by most estimates, more than half of the world’s ylang-ylang, a flower oil used in fine perfume.
The country lies at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and Madagascar. It became independent from France in 1975 and is led by President Azali Assoumani, who won a fourth term in January 2024.
How big the Comoros economy is
World Bank figures put gross domestic product (GDP), the value of everything the country produces, at about US$1.81 billion in 2025. That works out at roughly US$2,060 per person, about one-fortieth of the American level.
Growth reached about 3.8 per cent in 2025, up from 3.3 per cent in 2024, according to the World Bank. The IMF projects growth of about 4.1 per cent for 2026.
What the islands sell
Three crops carry the export trade: ylang-ylang, vanilla and cloves. Together they earn most of the country’s export revenue, so one poor flowering season can hurt the whole economy.
Ylang-ylang is grown by small farmers and distilled locally, often in simple stills. The oil leaves the islands raw or lightly processed, and the blending and branding happen in France and elsewhere.
That leaves the islands with a thin slice of the final value. Synthetic substitutes also exist, and every price spike gives perfume makers a reason to reformulate.
What the islands live on
Agriculture employs most of the workforce, but the islands import much of their fuel, food and manufactured goods. That leaves a structural trade gap that exports alone cannot close.
The gap is filled largely by the diaspora, many of them in France. Money sent home by workers abroad equalled about 21 per cent of GDP in 2023, World Bank data show.
Public debt was modest at about 30 per cent of GDP in 2025, according to IMF data. Even so, the IMF still rates the Comoros at high risk of debt distress, because its sources of income are narrow and seasonal.
The currency and the cost of money
The currency is the Comorian franc, fixed to the euro under an arrangement with France. On 2 October 2026 the rate was about 437 to the US dollar (open.er-api.com).
The peg keeps inflation low and makes the franc predictable for foreign buyers and visitors. The price is that the islands cannot devalue to make their exports cheaper.
Power: the binding constraint
Electricity has long held the economy back, because the islands ran almost entirely on imported diesel. Outages hit cold storage, small factories and the distilleries that process ylang-ylang.
In early September 2026 the government inaugurated three solar plants with about 20 megawatts (MW) of capacity, spread across all three islands. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development financed them with about US$23 million, and Emirati firm Masdar built them.
Battery storage on Grande Comore and Anjouan is meant to carry solar power into the evening. Whether the plants end chronic outages will only become clear over the coming months.
Tourism and heritage
Tourism is small, held back by few flights and limited hotels. In July 2026 the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, gave the islands their first World Heritage listing.
The listing covers six historic medinas, or old walled towns, on Grande Comore and Anjouan, including parts of the capital, Moroni. It brings prestige but no automatic funding.
The politics around the economy
The Comoros claims Mayotte, the fourth island of the archipelago, which voted against independence in 1974 and stayed French. Mayotte became a full French department in 2011.
President Azali Assoumani restated the claim at the UN General Assembly in late September 2026, calling French rule there an illegal occupation. The dispute colours relations with France, the main source of remittances, aid and migration routes.
At home, the president’s party, the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC), won the January 2025 parliamentary elections. The opposition rejected the results.
What it means for visitors and investors
The euro peg and low debt make the Comoros more stable than its size suggests. Power cuts, slow bureaucracy and a market of under a million people remain real limits.
Investors in the Comoros economy usually look at energy, agriculture processing and tourism. For travellers, the islands are reached mainly via flights from East Africa, the Gulf or Madagascar.
What Is Not Known
Full figures for exports, remittances and public debt in 2026 have not yet been published. The numbers above are the latest available official estimates, not live data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Comoros economy?
The Comoros economy produced about US$1.81 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is roughly US$2,060 per person for a population of about 883,000.
What does the Comoros produce?
Above all ylang-ylang flower oil for the perfume industry, plus vanilla and cloves. These three crops earn most of the country’s export revenue.
What currency does the Comoros use?
The Comorian franc, which is fixed to the euro. On 2 October 2026 the rate was about 437 to the US dollar.
Why does the Comoros claim Mayotte?
Mayotte is part of the Comoros archipelago but voted against independence in 1974 and stayed French. The Comoros has claimed it ever since, most recently at the UN in September 2026.
Sources
World Bank, Comoros data (population, GDP, growth, remittances) · World Bank, Comoros overview · IMF, Union of the Comoros country page · The Rio Times, Most of the world’s ylang-ylang comes from three small islands, September 2026 · The Rio Times, The Comoros switched on 20 MW of solar, paid for in Abu Dhabi, September 2026 · The Rio Times, Comoros wins its first UNESCO listing for six medinas, July 2026 · Outre-mer La 1ère and Alwihda Info, reports on the Comoros president’s UN speech, 25 September 2026 · Reuters, Comoros ruling party wins parliamentary elections, 15 January 2025
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