Travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Travel services was 13.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1977–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service imports, BoP.
Analysis
In 2024, travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 13.5%.
The figure is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 24.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2021.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 40th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of service imports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 15.2% | — |
| 1978 | 14.6% | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 14.2% | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 17.1% | +20.0% |
| 1981 | 17.1% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 19.5% | +13.5% |
| 1983 | 18.7% | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 17.1% | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 13.9% | -18.7% |
| 1986 | 16.4% | +17.7% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | +19.0% |
| 1988 | 20.3% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 21.0% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 19.8% | -5.5% |
| 1991 | 21.7% | +9.6% |
| 1992 | 20.7% | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 21.3% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 23.6% | +10.9% |
| 1995 | 22.0% | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 21.1% | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 22.3% | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 21.8% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 21.3% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 21.8% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 20.7% | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 19.9% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 24.1% | +20.7% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | -15.3% |
| 2005 | 17.3% | -14.9% |
| 2006 | 20.2% | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 20.5% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 20.9% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 17.6% | -16.0% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 13.9% | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | +13.7% |
| 2016 | 12.9% | -14.3% |
| 2017 | 16.6% | +28.9% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +10.9% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -41.2% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 11.9% | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | +8.2% |
| 2024 | 13.5% | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.7% | 14.2% | 15.2% | 3 |
| 1980s | 18.1% | 13.9% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 19.8% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.3% | 17.3% | 24.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 12.9% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 11.2% | 13.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 5.26 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 246.12 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.1471 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 3.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 283.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1696 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 9.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0012 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -1.99 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Travel services in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 13.5% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 24.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for travel services?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 40th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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
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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.