Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP was 47.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
47.0%
Change on year
up 9.6%
Rank
19th
of 37 groups
All-time high
53.3%
in 2008
All-time low
32.3%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 47.0% for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in 2024.
The figure is up 9.6% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 53.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 32.3%, in 2020.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 19th of 37 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42.0% | — |
| 2001 | 44.1% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 41.4% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 41.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 43.6% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 45.5% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 48.1% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 53.3% | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 43.4% | -18.5% |
| 2010 | 46.4% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 52.2% | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 47.2% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | -10.9% |
| 2016 | 39.5% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 39.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 41.9% | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 32.3% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 37.5% | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 41.0% | +9.5% |
| 2023 | 42.9% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 47.0% | +9.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.9% | 41.2% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 35.5% | 52.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.1% | 32.3% | 47.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 466.42 current US$ per person (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)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,657 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 8.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2438 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 407.9 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9902 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Sub-Saharan Africa was 47.0% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 53.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.3% in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 19th out of 37 groups with data for 2024.
- Is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).