Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Trade was 55.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 55.7% for trade in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 65.2% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 1960.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 18th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.8% | — |
| 2011 | 65.2% | +67.9% |
| 2012 | 64.0% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 62.3% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 60.8% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 55.1% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 54.2% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 56.6% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 55.5% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 55.8% | +9.2% |
| 2022 | 59.0% | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 57.3% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 55.7% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.8% | 38.8% | 38.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 59.0% | 54.2% | 65.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 55.8% | 51.1% | 59.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1718 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0917 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 160.95 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0962 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 287.43 constant 2015 US$ per person (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$), annual growth rate 4.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2516 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 153.4 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.68 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa was 55.7% in 2024, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 2011.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.8% in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for trade?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 18th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is trade rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.