External balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: External balance on goods and services was -0.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1976–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa is -0.0%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 96.8% on the previous year and up 99.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 3.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, -4.1%, in 2015.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 21st out of 44 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | -1.3% | — |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -167.3% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | -49.3% |
| 1979 | 1.5% | +252.1% |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +26.9% |
| 1981 | -2.6% | -230.8% |
| 1982 | -1.6% | -36.9% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | -139.4% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +18.2% |
| 1985 | 2.6% | +242.1% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 3.0% | +19.9% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -37.4% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | -12.9% |
| 1990 | 2.0% | +18.3% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -80.4% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +275.3% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +63.5% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -39.3% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -57.4% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | +63.7% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | -62.2% |
| 1998 | -0.6% | -256.6% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -178.5% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +271.2% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -25.3% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -48.8% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -13.0% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | +160.8% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +41.3% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -26.4% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.7% | -207.6% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -150.5% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +73.0% |
| 2012 | -0.5% | -132.4% |
| 2013 | -2.0% | +310.5% |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +13.0% |
| 2015 | -4.1% | +87.3% |
| 2016 | -3.2% | -23.2% |
| 2017 | -1.6% | -49.4% |
| 2018 | -0.9% | -43.8% |
| 2019 | -1.0% | +14.2% |
| 2020 | -0.8% | -18.1% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -173.5% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | -158.2% |
| 2023 | -1.4% | +296.5% |
| 2024 | -0.6% | -57.0% |
| 2025 | -0.0% | -96.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4% | -1.3% | 1.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | -2.6% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | -0.6% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | -1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.3% | -4.1% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.4% | -1.4% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 18 Papua New Guinea 13.2% compare
- 19 Chad 12.7% compare
- 20 Norway 11.7% compare
- 21 Angola 11.3% compare
- 22 Netherlands 11.2% compare
- 23 Denmark 11.0% compare
- 24 Switzerland 8.9% compare
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 386.71 current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -1.99 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 8.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 407.9 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2438 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2382 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 398.55 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 7.16 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- External balance on goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa was -0.0% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.1% in 2015.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 21st out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.