Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Trade was 55.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2024
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 55.5% for trade in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 65.0% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 1960.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 21st of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.8% | — |
| 2011 | 65.0% | +67.5% |
| 2012 | 63.8% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 62.2% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 60.6% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 57.2% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 54.9% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 54.0% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 56.4% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 55.4% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 51.0% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 55.6% | +9.1% |
| 2022 | 58.9% | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 57.2% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 55.5% | -2.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +67.5% | 38.8% | 65.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.8% | 38.8% | 38.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 58.8% | 54.0% | 65.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 55.6% | 51.0% | 58.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 4.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.147 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 245.62 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.8257 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 1,380 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,655 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9901 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 3.8 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 55.5% in 2024, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 65.0% in 2011.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.8% in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for trade?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 21st out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is trade rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Trade is the sum of 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.