Compare the regions
Five regions, side by side.
North, West, Central, East and Southern Africa, as the African Union divides the continent. Totals computed by Syli Atlas from IMF figures, country by country.
Public debt
Gross debt of the general government, as a share of GDP. · dashed: estimates and projections
Chart data as a table
| Year | North Africa | West Africa | Central Africa | East Africa | Southern Africa | Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 57.9 % | 20.1 % | 30.7 % | 55.7 % | 46.7 % | 41.3 % | 77.9 % |
| 2016 | 66.7 % | 23.9 % | 35.9 % | 60.7 % | 51.7 % | 47.9 % | 81.5 % |
| 2017 | 67.3 % | 25.8 % | 36.7 % | 64.7 % | 51.8 % | 49.1 % | 80.5 % |
| 2018 | 68.1 % | 28.2 % | 35.4 % | 68.1 % | 56.4 % | 51.0 % | 80.7 % |
| 2019 | 68.6 % | 29.2 % | 37.2 % | 66.7 % | 64.4 % | 52.8 % | 82.2 % |
| 2020 | 83.8 % | 35.9 % | 43.6 % | 76.1 % | 76.3 % | 63.6 % | 97.5 % |
| 2021 | 78.2 % | 39.1 % | 42.4 % | 68.1 % | 67.9 % | 60.5 % | 92.7 % |
| 2022 | 75.1 % | 41.7 % | 38.1 % | 64.0 % | 68.1 % | 60.0 % | 89.2 % |
| 2023 | 76.5 % | 47.9 % | 40.0 % | 68.4 % | 75.5 % | 64.9 % | 90.9 % |
| 2024 | 74.7 % | 54.2 % | 38.8 % | 60.3 % | 72.6 % | 64.8 % | 91.9 % |
| 2025 · estimate | 74.7 % | 49.0 % | 39.8 % | 66.6 % | 70.2 % | 63.8 % | 94.0 % |
| 2026 · projection | 72.9 % | 43.7 % | 38.7 % | 71.7 % | 68.7 % | 62.4 % | 94.6 % |
| 2027 · projection | 75.2 % | 41.6 % | 40.1 % | 64.8 % | 68.9 % | 61.4 % | 95.8 % |
| 2028 · projection | 77.0 % | 41.0 % | 40.8 % | 61.9 % | 69.5 % | 61.4 % | 97.4 % |
| 2029 · projection | 76.8 % | 40.2 % | 41.2 % | 60.3 % | 70.0 % | 60.9 % | 98.9 % |
| 2030 · projection | 76.2 % | 39.4 % | 41.4 % | 58.5 % | 70.0 % | 60.2 % | 100.3 % |
- North Africa
- West Africa
- Central Africa
- East Africa
- Southern Africa
- Africa
- World
Public debt · 2025
Regions, Africa and the world
Every indicator in 2025
| Region | GDP | Share of African GDP | Population | GDP per capita | Growth | Inflation | Public debt | GDP in dollars 2020 → 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 3,177 bn$ | 100.0 % | 1,487.6 M | 2,136 $ | +4.5 % | 13.9 % | 63.8 % | +17.6 % |
| North Africa | 947.7 bn$ | 29.8 % | 217.5 M | 4,357 $ | +4.6 % | 12.7 % | 74.7 % | +23.6 % |
| West Africa | 722.6 bn$ | 22.7 % | 462.4 M | 1,563 $ | +4.8 % | 16.6 % | 49.0 % | −17.0 % |
| Central Africa | 236.6 bn$ | 7.4 % | 186.0 M | 1,272 $ | +3.9 % | 4.6 % | 39.8 % | +62.7 % |
| East Africa | 533.9 bn$ | 16.8 % | 411.0 M | 1,299 $ | +6.5 % | 15.1 % | 66.6 % | +33.5 % |
| Southern Africa | 736.5 bn$ | 23.2 % | 210.7 M | 3,495 $ | +2.2 % | 13.7 % | 70.2 % | +41.6 % |
| World | 118,485 bn$ | — | 8,033.2 M | 14,749 $ | +3.5 % | 4.1 % | 94.0 % | +37.6 % |
GDP and population: sums of the countries. GDP per capita: total GDP divided by population. Growth and inflation: averages weighted by GDP in purchasing power parity. Debt: weighted by GDP in dollars.
Who carries each region
The weight of the large economies, and who moves fastest.
Economic communities
Communities and monetary unions
Totals of the members in 2025, from IMF figures, by the same rules as the regions.
ECOWAS · 12 countries
Economic Community of West African StatesAES · 3 countries
Alliance of Sahel StatesWAEMU · 8 countries
West African Economic and Monetary UnionCEMAC · 6 countries
Economic and Monetary Community of Central AfricaEAC · 8 countries
East African CommunitySADC · 16 countries
Southern African Development Community