Travel services in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Travel services was 14.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Travel services in Africa Western and Central, 1977–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service imports, BoP.
Analysis
Africa Western and Central recorded 14.8% for travel services in 2024.
That represents a change of up 12.7% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Africa Western and Central peaked at 28.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1979.
Africa Western and Central ranks 38th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Travel services in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of service imports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 11.9% | — |
| 1978 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 10.3% | -13.6% |
| 1980 | 15.8% | +52.8% |
| 1981 | 16.6% | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 16.4% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 14.4% | -11.8% |
| 1984 | 12.0% | -16.5% |
| 1985 | 11.4% | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 13.5% | +17.7% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | +10.9% |
| 1988 | 17.2% | +15.3% |
| 1989 | 20.1% | +16.8% |
| 1990 | 19.3% | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 22.9% | +18.7% |
| 1992 | 16.8% | -26.7% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | -16.4% |
| 1994 | 18.0% | +28.5% |
| 1995 | 14.3% | -20.3% |
| 1996 | 14.5% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | +18.4% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 15.1% | -10.0% |
| 2000 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 22.4% | +39.4% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | -49.8% |
| 2006 | 18.8% | +66.6% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | +23.8% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | +21.8% |
| 2009 | 20.9% | -26.0% |
| 2010 | 19.8% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 20.2% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 17.7% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 16.9% | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | +9.5% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -41.2% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | +77.8% |
| 2018 | 20.9% | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 22.6% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | -38.7% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 14.8% | +12.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.4% | 10.3% | 12.0% | 3 |
| 1980s | 15.2% | 11.4% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.9% | 14.0% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 11.3% | 28.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.5% | 10.9% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 12.6% | 14.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More economy & growth data for Africa Western and Central
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 4.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Inflation, GDP deflator 2.8% (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) 807.39 billion current US$ (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) 942.07 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP 852.53 billion current US$ (2025)
- GDP 991.22 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita 1,860 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0071 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP per capita growth 2.2% (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 1,515 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Africa Western and Central?
- Travel services in Africa Western and Central was 14.8% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1979.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for travel services?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of service imports, BoP). 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
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are services provided by non-residents to residents.