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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Seychelles recorded the highest Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in Africa as of 2023, at 16,940 U.S. dollars. The African island was, therefore, the only high-income country on the continent, according to the source's classification. Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, Libya, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, and Namibia were defined as upper-middle-income economies, those with a GNI per capita between 4,516 U.S. dollars and 14,005 U.S. dollars. On the opposite, 20 African countries recorded a GNI per capita below 1,145 U.S. dollars, being thus classified as low-income economies. Among them, Burundi presented the lowest income per capita, some 230 U.S. dollars. Poverty and population growth in Africa Despite a few countries being in the high income and upper-middle countries classification, Africa had a significant number of people living under extreme poverty. However, this number is expected to decline gradually in the upcoming years, with experts forecasting that this number will decrease to almost 400 million individuals by 2030 from nearly 430 million in 2023, despite the continent currently having the highest population growth rate globally. African economic growth and prosperity In recent years, Africa showed significant growth in various industries, such as natural gas production, clean energy generation, and services exports. Furthermore, it is forecast that the GDP growth rate would reach 4.5 percent by 2027, keeping the overall positive trend of economic growth in the continent.

The average for 2024 based on 46 countries was 6130 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 GDP per capita in Libya was estimated at around 7,200 U.S. dollars in 2022. Libya had the highest GDP per capita in North Africa in that year. Algeria followed, with a GDP per capita of approximately 4,300 U.S. dollars. In total, Egypt was the largest economy in the region.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and five are in Asia, alongside the U.S. and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.

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 2022, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa reached 2,150.6 U.S. dollars, the highest value since 2015. In 2014, the value per capita was higher, at 2,316 U.S. dollars. The GDP per capita on the continent was set to follow an upward trend in the coming years to reach nearly 2,700 U.S. dollars by 2026.

Mauritius concentrated the highest private wealth per capita in Africa in 2021: ****** U.S. dollars. South Africa followed, with a wealth amount of ****** U.S. dollars per capital. Overall, total private wealth on the continent amounted to *** trillion U.S. dollars that year.

19 of the 20 countries with the lowest estimated GDP per capita in the world in 2024 are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Sudan is believed to have a GDP per capita of just 351.02 U.S. dollars - for reference, Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita in the world, at almost 130,000 U.S. dollars, which is around 400 times larger than that of Burundi (U.S. GDP per capita is over 250 times higher than Burundi's). Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa Many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa have been among the most impoverished in the world for over a century, due to lacking nutritional and sanitation infrastructures, persistent conflict, and political instability. These issues are also being exacerbated by climate change, where African nations are some of the most vulnerable in the world, as well as the population boom that will place over the 21st century. Of course, the entire population of Sub-Saharan Africa does not live in poverty, and countries in the southern part of the continent, as well as oil-producing states around the Gulf of Guinea, do have some pockets of significant wealth (especially in urban areas). However, while GDP per capita may be higher in these countries, wealth distribution is often very skewed, and GDP per capita figures are not representative of average living standards across the population. Outside of Africa Yemen is the only country outside of Africa to feature on the list, due to decades of civil war and instability. Yemen lags very far behind some of its neighboring Arab states, some of whom rank among the richest in the world due to their much larger energy sectors. Additionally, the IMF does not make estimates for Afghanistan, which would also likely feature on this list.

South Africa concentrated the largest amount of private wealth in Africa as of 2021, some 651 billion U.S. dollars. Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and Kenya followed, establishing the five wealthier markets in the continent. The wealth value referred to assets, such as cash, properties, and business interests, held by individuals living in each country, with liabilities discounted. Overall, Africa counted in the same year approximately 136,000 high net worth individuals (HNWIs), each with net assets of one million U.S. dollars or more.

 COVID-19 and wealth constraints  

Africa held 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars of total private wealth in 2021. The amount slightly increased in comparison to the previous year, when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to job losses, drops in salaries, and the closure of many local businesses. However, compared to 2011, total private wealth in Africa declined 4.5 percent, constrained by poor performances in Angola, Egypt, and Nigeria. By 2031, however, the private wealth is expected to rise nearly 40 percent in the continent.

 The richest in Africa 

Besides 125 thousand millionaires, Africa counted 6,700 multimillionaires and 305 centimillionaires as of December 2021. Furthermore, there were 21 billionaires in the African continent, each with a wealth of one billion U.S. dollars and more. The richest person in Africa is the Nigerian Aliko Dangote. The billionaire is the founder and chairman of Dangote Cement, the largest cement producer on the whole continent. He also owns salt and sugar manufacturing companies.

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.

In 2021, the BRICS countries with the highest estimated GDP per capita were Russia and China, with between 12,000 and 13,000 U.S. dollars per person. Brazil and South Africa's GDP per capita are thought to be closer to the 7,000 mark, while India's GDP per capita is just over 2,000 U.S. dollars. This a significant contrast to figures for overall GDP, where China has the largest economy by a significant margin, while India's is the second largest. The reason for this disparity is due to population size. For example, both China's population and overall GDP are roughly 10 times larger than those of Russia, which results in them having a comparable GDP per capita. Additionally, India's population is 23 times larger than South Africa's, but it's GDP is just seven times larger; this results in South Africa having a higher GDP per capita than India, despite it being the smallest of the BRICS economies.

Abstract

Nigeria was among the first few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify cases of COVID-19. Reported cases and fatalities have been increasing since it was first identified. The government implemented strict measures to contain the spread of this virus (such as travel restrictions, school closures and home-based work). While the Government is implementing these containment measures, it is important to understand how households in the country are affected and responding to the evolving crises, so that policy responses can be designed well and targeted effectively to reduce the negative impacts on household welfare.

The objective of Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS is to monitor the socio-economic effects of this evolving COVID-19 pandemic in real time. These data will contribute to filling critical gaps in information that could be used by the Nigerian government and stakeholders to help design policies to mitigate the negative impacts on its population. The Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS is designed to accommodate the evolving nature of the crises, including revision of the questionnaire on a monthly basis.

The households were drawn from the sample of households interviewed in 2018/2019 for Wave 4 of the General Household Survey—Panel (GHS-Panel). The extensive information collected in the GHS-Panel just over a year prior to the pandemic provides a rich set of background information on the Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS households which can be leveraged to assess the differential impacts of the pandemic in the country.

Each month, the households will be asked a set of core questions on the key channels through which individuals and households are expected to be affected by the COVID-19-related restrictions. Food security, employment, access to basic services, coping strategies, and non-labour sources of income are channels likely to be impacted. The core questionnaire is complemented by questions on selected topics that rotate each month. This provides data to the government and development partners in near real-time, supporting an evidence-based response to the crisis.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Individuals

Universe

The survey covered all de jure households excluding prisons, hospitals, military barracks, and school dormitories.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Wave 4 of the GHS-Panel conducted in 2018/19 served as the frame for the Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS survey. The GHS-Panel sample includes 4,976 households that were interviewed in the post-harvest visit of the fourth wave in January/February 2019. This sample of households is representative nationally as well as across the 6 geopolitical Zones that divide up the country. In every visit of the GHS-Panel, phone numbers are collected from interviewed households for up to 4 household members and 2 reference persons who are in close contact with the household in order to assist in locating and interviewing households who may have moved in subsequent waves of the survey. This comprehensive set of phone numbers as well as the already well-established relationship between NBS and the GHS-Panel households made this an ideal frame from which to conduct the COVID-19 monitoring survey in Nigeria.

Among the 4,976 households interviewed in the post-harvest visit of the GHS-Panel in 2019, 4,934 (99.2%) provided at least one phone number. Around 90 percent of these households provided a phone number for at least one household member while the remaining 10 percent only provided a phone number for a reference person. Households with only the phone number of a reference person were expected to be more difficult to reach but were nonetheless included in the frame and deemed eligible for selection for the Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS.

To obtain a nationally representative sample for the Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS, a sample size of approximately 1,800 successfully interviewed households was targeted. However, to reach that target, a larger pool of households needed to be selected from the frame due to non-contact and non-response common for telephone surveys. Drawing from prior telephone surveys in Nigeria, a final contact plus response rate of 60% was assumed, implying that the required sample households to contact in order to reach the target is 3,000.

3,000 households were selected from the frame of 4,934 households with contact details. Given the large amount of auxiliary information available in the GHS-Panel for these households, a balanced sampling approach (using the cube method) was adopted. The balanced sampling approach enables selection of a random sample that still retains the properties of the frame across selected covariates. Balancing on these variables results in a reduction of the variance of the resulting estimates, assuming that the chosen covariates are correlated with the target variable. Calibration to the balancing variables after the data collection further reduces this variance (Tille, 2006). The sample was balanced across several important dimensions: state, sector (urban/rural), household size, per capita consumption expenditure, household head sex and education, and household ownership of a mobile phone.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview [cati]

Research instrument

BASELINE (ROUND 1): One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; knowledge regarding the spread of COVID-19; behaviour and social distancing; access to basic services; employment; income loss; food security; concerns; coping/shocks; and social safety nets.

ROUND 2: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; access to basic goods and services; employment (including non-farm enterprise and agricultural activity); other income; food security; and social safety nets.

ROUND 3: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; access to basic goods and services; housing; employment (including non-farm enterprise and agricultural activity); other income; coping/shocks; and social safety nets.

ROUND 4: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; access to basic goods and services; credit; employment (including non-farm enterprise, crop farming and livestock); food security; income changes; concerns; and social safety nets.

ROUND 5: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; education; employment (including non-farm enterprise and agricultural activity); and other income.

ROUND 6: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; education; employment (including non-farm enterprise); COVID testing and vaccination; and other income.

ROUND 7: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; access to basic services; employment (including non-farm enterprise); food security; concerns; and safety nets.

ROUND 8: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; employment (including non-farm enterprise and agriculture); and coping/shocks.

ROUND 9: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; education; early childhood development, access to basic services, employment (including non-farm enterprise and agriculture); and income changes.

ROUND 10: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; access to basic services; employment (including non-farm enterprise and agricultural activity); concerns and COVID testing and vaccination.

ROUND 11: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on demographics; credit; access to basic services; education; employment (including non-farm enterprise); safety nets; youth contact details; and phone signal.

ROUND 12: One questionnaire, the Household Questionnaire, was administered to all households in the sample. The Household Questionnaire provides information on youth aspirations and employment; and COVID vaccination.

Cleaning operations

COMUPTER ASSISTED TELEPHONE INTERVIEW (CATI): The Nigeria COVID-19 NLPS exercise was conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) techniques. The household questionnaire was implemented using the CATI software, Survey Solutions. The Survey Solutions software was developed and maintained by the Data Analytics and Tools Unit within the Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) at the World Bank. Each interviewer was given two tablets, which they used to conduct the interviews. Overall, implementation of survey using Survey Solutions CATI was highly successful, as it allowed for timely availability of the data from completed interviews.

DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM: The data communication

Gabon recorded the highest per capita amount of meat available for human consumption among countries in Africa as of 2020. The average meat supply in the Central African country reached 67 kilograms per capita. The Seychelles and South Africa followed closely, with a supply of over 62 and 59.8 kilograms per person that year, respectively. On the other hand, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the lowest meat supply, 3.1 kilograms and around 3.2 kilograms per capita, respectively.

Map showing 8 major climate classes for Africa. Digital version of "Major Climatic Divisions" derived from the Agro-Ecological Zones Project, made by FAO in 1978. Refer to World Soil Resources Report 48, Vol. 1 Methodology and Results for Africa.

As of January 2023, Aliko Dangote was the richest man in Africa. He had a net worth of around 13.5 billion U.S. dollars and ranked 128th worldwide. From Nigeria, he is the founder and chairman of the Dangote Group, a large conglomerate operating in several sectors including cement and sugar. The South African Johann Rupert and family followed as the second-richest people in Africa, with a net worth of 10.7 billion U.S. dollars.

Dangote Group continues to expand

Founded in 1981, the Dangote Group (Dangote Industries Limited) is among the largest conglomerates in Africa. Its main subsidiary, Dangote Cement Plc, is the main cement manufacturer on the African continent. The business went public in 2010 and is the largest company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In addition to the cement industry, the Group also manufactures and processes food products, such as sugar, flour, and salt. With Nigeria being the leading African country for oil production, Dangote expanded his business into the oil industry in recent years. For this purpose, the Group built Africa’s biggest oil refinery near Lagos, Nigeria.

Africa’s wealthiest countries

Wealth in Africa is concentrated in a few countries and, within those, in a few families. Counting the highest numbers of billionaires, South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria are the wealthiest nations, having also the largest gross domestic products (GDPs) in Africa. These countries count the highest number of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), which amounts to over 39,000 in South Africa. Not surprisingly, Johannesburg and Cape Town have the highest concentration of private wealth in Africa. Moreover, South Africa has the highest wealth per capita after Mauritius.