Service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Service imports was 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
138.68 billion BoP, current US$
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
31st
of 45 groups
All-time high
138.68 billion BoP, current US$
in 2024
All-time low
12.24 billion BoP, current US$
in 1978
Years of data
47
1978–2024
Service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1978–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ for service imports in 2024. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.24 billion BoP, current US$, in 1978.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 12.24 billion BoP, current US$ | — |
| 1979 | 13.98 billion BoP, current US$ | +14.2% |
| 1980 | 19.23 billion BoP, current US$ | +37.6% |
| 1981 | 20.00 billion BoP, current US$ | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 17.07 billion BoP, current US$ | -14.7% |
| 1983 | 15.25 billion BoP, current US$ | -10.7% |
| 1984 | 13.55 billion BoP, current US$ | -11.1% |
| 1985 | 13.40 billion BoP, current US$ | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 13.39 billion BoP, current US$ | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 14.34 billion BoP, current US$ | +7.1% |
| 1988 | 15.65 billion BoP, current US$ | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 17.01 billion BoP, current US$ | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 20.29 billion BoP, current US$ | +19.3% |
| 1991 | 21.05 billion BoP, current US$ | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 21.46 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 22.68 billion BoP, current US$ | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 23.17 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 24.13 billion BoP, current US$ | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 25.31 billion BoP, current US$ | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 25.50 billion BoP, current US$ | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 25.89 billion BoP, current US$ | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 27.84 billion BoP, current US$ | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 27.42 billion BoP, current US$ | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 29.39 billion BoP, current US$ | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 30.59 billion BoP, current US$ | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 35.84 billion BoP, current US$ | +17.2% |
| 2004 | 43.57 billion BoP, current US$ | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 51.49 billion BoP, current US$ | +18.2% |
| 2006 | 66.28 billion BoP, current US$ | +28.7% |
| 2007 | 84.84 billion BoP, current US$ | +28.0% |
| 2008 | 108.30 billion BoP, current US$ | +27.6% |
| 2009 | 95.55 billion BoP, current US$ | -11.8% |
| 2010 | 106.84 billion BoP, current US$ | +11.8% |
| 2011 | 124.54 billion BoP, current US$ | +16.6% |
| 2012 | 122.19 billion BoP, current US$ | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 124.02 billion BoP, current US$ | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 132.09 billion BoP, current US$ | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 114.28 billion BoP, current US$ | -13.5% |
| 2016 | 97.84 billion BoP, current US$ | -14.4% |
| 2017 | 110.95 billion BoP, current US$ | +13.4% |
| 2018 | 128.96 billion BoP, current US$ | +16.2% |
| 2019 | 137.22 billion BoP, current US$ | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 104.57 billion BoP, current US$ | -23.8% |
| 2021 | 111.14 billion BoP, current US$ | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 132.84 billion BoP, current US$ | +19.5% |
| 2023 | 135.94 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.11 billion BoP, current US$ | 12.24 billion BoP, current US$ | 13.98 billion BoP, current US$ | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.89 billion BoP, current US$ | 13.39 billion BoP, current US$ | 20.00 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.73 billion BoP, current US$ | 20.29 billion BoP, current US$ | 27.84 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.33 billion BoP, current US$ | 27.42 billion BoP, current US$ | 108.30 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 119.89 billion BoP, current US$ | 97.84 billion BoP, current US$ | 137.22 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 124.63 billion BoP, current US$ | 104.57 billion BoP, current US$ | 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 28 Mexico 75.42 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 29 Norway 73.87 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 30 Indonesia 62.99 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 31 Malaysia 56.37 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 32 Türkiye 55.82 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 33 Israel 53.17 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 34 Finland 48.94 billion BoP, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- GNI (current US$), per capita 1,624 current US$ per person (2025)
- GNI (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9709 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI (current US$), annual growth rate 11.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), per capita 1,610 current US$ per person (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9626 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), annual growth rate 3.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per capita 16.47 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0098 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), annual growth rate 161.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 4.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Service imports in Sub-Saharan Africa was 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest service imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 138.68 billion BoP, current US$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest service imports recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.24 billion BoP, current US$ in 1978.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for service imports?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is service imports rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Service imports (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Imports of services are services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.