Imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Imports of goods and services was 27.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1976–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa is 27.9%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 29.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 1983.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 21.9% | — |
| 1977 | 21.5% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 22.6% | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 23.2% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 24.8% | +7.0% |
| 1981 | 19.5% | -21.3% |
| 1982 | 18.1% | -7.3% |
| 1983 | 17.8% | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 19.7% | +10.9% |
| 1985 | 18.2% | -7.7% |
| 1986 | 21.5% | +18.2% |
| 1987 | 22.2% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 22.7% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 22.8% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 21.0% | -7.9% |
| 1991 | 20.5% | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 22.1% | +7.8% |
| 1993 | 21.4% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 22.8% | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 21.7% | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 20.3% | -6.6% |
| 1997 | 20.0% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 19.8% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 26.4% | +33.2% |
| 2000 | 26.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 26.3% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 26.0% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 25.5% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 25.8% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 27.7% | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 29.7% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 27.4% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 26.5% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 27.8% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 28.0% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 27.5% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 26.3% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 25.6% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 25.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 25.4% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 21.8% | -14.2% |
| 2020 | 20.1% | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 22.3% | +10.7% |
| 2022 | 24.8% | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | +6.3% |
| 2024 | 28.6% | +8.7% |
| 2025 | 27.9% | -2.6% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +33.2% | 19.8% | 26.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.3% | 21.5% | 23.2% | 4 |
| 1980s | 20.7% | 17.8% | 24.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 19.8% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.6% | 25.5% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 21.8% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 20.1% | 28.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 407.9 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 4.36 % change on previous year (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)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2788 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 8.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2311 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 386.71 current US$ 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Imports of goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa was 27.9% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
- What is the highest imports of goods and services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest imports of goods and services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 1983.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for imports of goods and services?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is imports of goods and services rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. 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 Offices (NSOs), published as part of Imports of 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
Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. 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.