Gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Gross fixed capital formation was 23.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 23.0% for gross fixed capital formation in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 25.8% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 17.1%, in 1997.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 24th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23.6% | — |
| 1991 | 22.2% | -6.0% |
| 1992 | 22.8% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 21.8% | -4.5% |
| 1994 | 21.5% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 18.9% | -12.1% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 17.1% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 17.2% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 22.1% | +28.8% |
| 2000 | 21.8% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 21.7% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 20.1% | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 21.5% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 21.7% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 21.2% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 23.0% | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 24.4% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 25.8% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 23.2% | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 23.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 23.6% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 23.7% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 24.0% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 20.6% | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 20.3% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 21.7% | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 23.6% | +8.9% |
| 2025 | 23.0% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.5% | 17.1% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 20.1% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.4% | 20.6% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 19.4% | 23.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2788 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 420.94 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2516 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 466.42 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2438 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 386.71 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1718 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Gross fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa was 23.0% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest gross fixed capital formation recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2009.
- What is the lowest gross fixed capital formation recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1% in 1997.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for gross fixed capital formation?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 24th out of 43 groups with data for 2025.
- Is gross fixed capital formation rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Gross fixed capital formation (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross fixed capital formation includes acquisitions less disposals of fixed assets during the accounting period, including certain specified expenditures on services that add to the value of non-produced assets. 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.