As of April 2025, South Africa's GDP was estimated at over 410 billion U.S. dollars, the highest in Africa. Egypt followed, with a GDP worth around 347 billion U.S. dollars, and ranked as the second-highest on the continent. Algeria ranked third, with nearly 269 billion U.S. dollars. These African economies are among some of the fastest-growing economies worldwide. Dependency on oil For some African countries, the oil industry represents an enormous source of income. In Nigeria, oil generates over five percent of the country’s GDP in the third quarter of 2023. However, economies such as the Libyan, Algerian, or Angolan are even much more dependent on the oil sector. In Libya, for instance, oil rents account for over 40 percent of the GDP. Indeed, Libya is one of the economies most dependent on oil worldwide. Similarly, oil represents for some of Africa’s largest economies a substantial source of export value. The giants do not make the ranking Most of Africa’s largest economies do not appear in the leading ten African countries for GDP per capita. The GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population. Therefore, a populated country with a low total GDP will have a low GDP per capita, while a small rich nation has a high GDP per capita. For instance, South Africa has Africa’s highest GDP, but also counts the sixth-largest population, so wealth has to be divided into its big population. The GDP per capita also indicates how a country’s wealth reaches each of its citizens. In Africa, Seychelles has the greatest GDP per capita.

This dataset provides values for GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This dataset provides values for GDP PER CAPITA reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

South Africa's GDP amounted to just over 418 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, the highest in Southern Africa. Zimbabwe ranked second, with a GDP worth around 37 billion U.S. dollars. Lesotho, on the other hand, ranked the lowest with a GDP of over 2.4 billion U.S. dollars.

The average for 2024 based on 46 countries was 2323.02 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the Seychelles: 16586.41 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Burundi: 255.6 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Seychelles had the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa as of 2024. The value amounted to 21,630 U.S. dollars. Mauritius followed with around 12,330 U.S. dollars, whereas Gabon registered 8,840 U.S. dollars. GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population, meaning that some of the largest economies are not ranked within the leading ten. Impact of COVID-19 on North Africa’s GDP When looking at the GDP growth rate in Africa in 2024, Libya had the largest estimated growth in Northern Africa, a value of 7.8 percent compared to the previous year. Niger and Senegal were at the top of the list with rates of 10.4 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the economy was severe. The growth of the North African real GDP was estimated at minus 1.1 percent in 2020. However, estimations for 2022 looked much brighter, as it was set that the region would see a GDP growth of six percent, compared to four percent in 2021.
Contribution of Tourism Various countries in Africa are dependent on tourism, contributing to the economy. In 2023, travel and tourism were estimated to contribute 182.6 billion U.S. dollars, a clear increase from 96.5 in 2020 following COVID-19. As of 2024, South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt led tourism in the continent according to the Travel & Tourism Development Index.

The average for 2024 based on 52 countries was 6829 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the Seychelles: 29242 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Burundi: 836 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa was worth 400.26 billion US dollars in 2024, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of South Africa represents 0.38 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Africa GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

As of 2023, the GDP of Africa was estimated at roughly 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars. This was the highest value since 2010 when the continent's GDP amounted to approximately 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars. The GDP value in Africa generally followed an upward trend in recent years and was estimated to exceed 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars by 2027.

Leading the charge: the three leading African economies

Among the African countries, in 2021, Nigeria had the highest GDP with approximately 442 billion U.S. dollars. South Africa and Egypt followed. These three countries have the largest economies for various reasons. The most notable factors are their population size, natural resources, and level of economic development. Furthermore, Africa was projected to have a real GDP growth rate of 3.9 percent in 2023. Libya was the economy experiencing the highest growth rate in that year.

The Sub-Saharan African economy on the rise

A global comparison showed that Sub-Saharan Africa had the smallest GDP among all world regions in 2021, amounting to 1.87 trillion U.S. dollars. A closer look revealed that Sub-Saharan Africa had a GDP per capita of 1,626.3 U.S. dollars in 2021, again the lowest worldwide. However, the region's economy was forecast to experience continued growth in the following years, with the real GDP increasing by 3.7 percent in 2023.

The average for 2023 based on 42 countries was 14.65 percent. The highest value was in Lesotho: 35.58 percent and the lowest value was in Angola: 5.17 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 45 countries was 0.04 percent. The highest value was in South Africa: 0.36 percent and the lowest value was in Burundi: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 44 countries was 4.15 percent. The highest value was in Namibia: 18.49 percent and the lowest value was in Angola: -2.5 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 48 countries was 33.71 percent. The highest value was in Djibouti: 150.02 percent and the lowest value was in Sudan: 1.11 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 42 countries was 1.49 percent. The highest value was in Togo: 5.44 percent and the lowest value was in Mauritius: 0.17 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, Niger's real GDP is estimated to grow by 10.4 percent compared to the previous year. During 2023, the GDP is estimated to have increased by only 1.4 percent, nevertheless a positive trend. The country's real GDP is forecast to continue growing but at a slower pace. Between 2025 and 2029, it is expected to grow annually by roughly six percent. Furthermore, the GDPs of Senegal, Libya, and Rwanda might increase by around 8.3 percent, 7.8 percent, and 6.9 percent during 2024, respectively. Niger: A dependence on agriculture A large portion of Niger's economy comes from agriculture. In 2022, agriculture accounted for almost 40 percent of the GDP. Niger is not the only country in Africa where agriculture plays a crucial role. For example, agriculture made up nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s GDP in 2022. Such dependence could mean that any disruptions in the agricultural products market could have significant effects on the country's GDP. Sub-Saharan Africa's economy will be among the fastest-growing regions worldwide Three African countries have significantly larger economies, namely, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. As of 2022, these countries' GDP stood at nearly 477.4 billion, 475.2 billion, and 405.7 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP growth in 2026 will rank as the second-fastest growing economic region in the world after the ASEAN-5 countries, with a growth rate of approximately four percent. In contrast, economic areas such as the European Union are forecast to grow at only about 1.5 percent in the same year.

The Seychelles' GDP per capita amounted to 22,000 U.S. dollars in 2025, the highest in East Africa. Mauritius ranked second, with a GDP per capita worth around 13,000 U.S. dollars. Burundi, on the other hand, had the lowest average income per person, at about 160 U.S. dollars.

The average for 2024 based on 37 countries was -7.45 percent. The highest value was in Gabon: 36.08 percent and the lowest value was in Somalia: -54.32 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 40 countries was -3.88 percent. The highest value was in Equatorial Guinea: 11.9 percent and the lowest value was in Ghana: -11.8 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The statistic shows gross domestic product (GDP) in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. Gross domestic product (GDP) denotes the aggregate value of all services and goods produced within a country in any given year. GDP is an important indicator of a country's economic power. In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa's aggregated gross domestic product amounted to around 1,841.17 billion U.S. dollars.

The Gross Domestic Product per capita in South Africa was last recorded at 5708.96 US dollars in 2024. The GDP per Capita in South Africa is equivalent to 45 percent of the world's average. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Africa GDP per capita - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.