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.

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.

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.

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.

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 2021 based on 42 countries was 4.3 percent. The highest value was in Namibia: 10.39 percent and the lowest value was in Nigeria: 0.38 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Egypt was the largest economy in North Africa in 2022. In that year, its GDP amounted to 435.6 billion U.S. dollars, the second-highest in Africa after Nigeria. Algeria and Morocco followed, with the GDP totaling around 194 billion and 133 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.

As of 2023, Niger registered the agricultural sector's highest contribution to the GDP in Africa, at over ** percent. Comoros and Ethiopia followed, with agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounting for approximately ** percent and ** percent of the GDP, respectively. On the other hand, Botswana, Djibouti, Libya, Zambia, and South Africa were the African countries with the lowest percentage of the GDP generated by the agricultural sector. Agriculture remains a pillar of Africa’s economy Despite the significant variations across countries, agriculture is a key sector in Africa. In 2022, it represented around ** percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, growing by over *** percentage points compared to 2011. The agricultural industry also strongly contributes to the continent’s job market. The number of people employed in the primary sector in Africa grew from around *** million in 2011 to *** million in 2021. In proportion, agriculture employed approximately ** percent of Africa’s working population in 2021. Agricultural activities attracted a large share of the labor force in Central, East, and West Africa, which registered percentages over the regional average. On the other hand, North Africa recorded the lowest share of employment in agriculture, as the regional economy relies significantly on the industrial and service sectors. Cereals are among the most produced crops Sudan and South Africa are the African countries with the largest agricultural areas. Respectively, they devote around *** million and **** million hectares of land to growing crops. Agricultural production varies significantly across African countries in terms of products and volume. Cereals such as rice, corn, and wheat are among the main crops on the continent, also representing a staple in most countries. The leading cereal producers are Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa. Together, they recorded a cereal output of almost *** million metric tons in 2021. Additionally, rice production was concentrated in Nigeria, Egypt, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

The average for 2024 based on 51 countries was 11.31 million people. The highest value was in Nigeria: 113.35 million people and the lowest value was in Sao Tome and Principe: 0.03 million people. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Scores and rankings for Nigeria on the Corruption Perceptions Index from 1996 to 2019, including country rank, number of countries surveyed, and annual scores.

This study illuminates the multifaceted influence of Chinese in Africa, driven by the imperative to understand the strategic and economic ramifications of this rapidly evolving relationship. Motivated by the critical role Africa plays in global geopolitics and resource dynamics, alongside Chinese expanding international influences, the research aims to quantitatively and psychologically assess the decision-making processes underpinning this engagement. Adopting a regret theory-based Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) framework, the study evaluates Chinese impact across 49 African countries from 2018 to 2022, employing six economic indicators to capture the breadth of Chinese activities. Through meticulous normalization, regret utility computation, and total gap analysis, the methodology affords a systematic ranking that reflects the varying degrees of Chinese economic influence. The findings uncover pronounced variances in the level of Chinese engagement across the continent, with countries like Nigeria and Egypt showcasing substantial influence convergence with the theoretical model of ideal economic partnership, whereas others like Cape Verde indicate minimal influence. Contributing to academic and practical discourse, this study not only provides a methodological blueprint for analyzing geopolitical influences but also offers insights that policymakers can leverage to optimize their engagement strategies with Chinese. It foregrounds the interplay between empirical economic data and behavioral economics within international relations research. The study acknowledges limitations, primarily in data availability, which may not capture the full scope of informal economic interactions. It proposes further research to enrich the understanding of the Chinese-Africa nexus through longitudinal studies, integration of qualitative data, and expansion of the analytical model to encompass broader socio-economic impacts and more diverse indicators.

In the second quarter of 2023, Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product stood at 52.1 trillion Nigerian naira (NGN), around 66.84 billion U.S. dollars. In 2021, the value reached around 173.5 trillion NGN, over 390 billion U.S. dollars at the time. Moreover, Nigeria has one of the largest GDPs in Africa. Its GDP per capita ranked the nation 22nd among African countries in 2022.

Among African countries, South Sudan registered the highest ratio of economic cost of violence to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of 2020, corresponding to ** percent. The share was one of the highest in the world, ranking South Sudan as *** among *** countries. Central African Republic and Somalia followed, with shares of ** percent and ** percent of their GDP, respectively. In absolute numbers, direct and indirect costs of violence reached the highest in Nigeria, at over *** billion U.S. dollars adjusted for purchasing power parity.

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

China Import: HS 2: Nigeria: Tin and Articles Thereof data was reported at 0.001 USD mn in Jun 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.002 USD mn for May 2016. China Import: HS 2: Nigeria: Tin and Articles Thereof data is updated monthly, averaging 0.001 USD mn from Jan 2016 (Median) to Jun 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.002 USD mn in May 2016 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in Jan 2016. China Import: HS 2: Nigeria: Tin and Articles Thereof data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Administration of Customs. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s International Trade – Table CN.JKC: USD: Trade by HS 2 Digits Classification: Africa: Nigeria.

This study illuminates the multifaceted influence of Chinese in Africa, driven by the imperative to understand the strategic and economic ramifications of this rapidly evolving relationship. Motivated by the critical role Africa plays in global geopolitics and resource dynamics, alongside Chinese expanding international influences, the research aims to quantitatively and psychologically assess the decision-making processes underpinning this engagement. Adopting a regret theory-based Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) framework, the study evaluates Chinese impact across 49 African countries from 2018 to 2022, employing six economic indicators to capture the breadth of Chinese activities. Through meticulous normalization, regret utility computation, and total gap analysis, the methodology affords a systematic ranking that reflects the varying degrees of Chinese economic influence. The findings uncover pronounced variances in the level of Chinese engagement across the continent, with countries like Nigeria and Egypt showcasing substantial influence convergence with the theoretical model of ideal economic partnership, whereas others like Cape Verde indicate minimal influence. Contributing to academic and practical discourse, this study not only provides a methodological blueprint for analyzing geopolitical influences but also offers insights that policymakers can leverage to optimize their engagement strategies with Chinese. It foregrounds the interplay between empirical economic data and behavioral economics within international relations research. The study acknowledges limitations, primarily in data availability, which may not capture the full scope of informal economic interactions. It proposes further research to enrich the understanding of the Chinese-Africa nexus through longitudinal studies, integration of qualitative data, and expansion of the analytical model to encompass broader socio-economic impacts and more diverse indicators.

In the ease of doing business, Nigeria ranked 131st out of 190 countries in 2019. Economies ranking from one to 20 have simpler and more friendly regulations for businesses. In Africa, the best country for doing business is Mauritius, which ranks among the first countries worldwide. In West Africa, Nigeria is the eighth country, with Ghana leading the ranking.

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