Regions and communities
Economic communities of Africa
In 2025, SADC is the largest African economic community by GDP (958.5 bn$), and WAEMU the fastest-growing (+6.4 %), according to IMF figures added up by Syli Atlas.
| Community | Members | GDP 2025 | Population | Growth | Public debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SADC Southern African Development Community | 16 | 958.5 bn$ | 421.5 M | +3.0 % | 63.2 % |
| ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States | 12 | 642.4 bn$ | 384.0 M | +4.7 % | 49.4 % |
| EAC East African Community | 8 | 426.8 bn$ | 336.3 M | +6.1 % | 51.5 % |
| WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union | 8 | 256.3 bn$ | 156.0 M | +6.4 % | 64.6 % |
| CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa | 6 | 135.9 bn$ | 64.8 M | +2.9 % | 52.8 % |
| AES Alliance of Sahel States | 3 | 80.2 bn$ | 78.4 M | +5.6 % | 46.1 % |
Syli Atlas calculation from IMF figures (World Economic Outlook (October 2026)) · GDP and population: sums · growth: weighted by GDP in PPP · debt: weighted by GDP in dollars · membership as of 2026-11-10: ECOWAS without Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, members of the AES