Countries · Africa
Africa
Foreign investment, remittances and reserves across the continent, by region. Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt have their own pages.
At a glance
Regions follow the United Nations geographic definitions.
Across the continent as a whole, money sent home by people working abroad brings in more foreign currency than direct investment: $126.8bn against $69.3bn in the latest year. Remittances are largest in North and West Africa, led by Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco. Only in Central Africa is direct investment larger. The US Treasury reports only South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Liberia and Mauritius separately, and their holdings of US securities are small.
| Region | Countries | Population, 2025 | GDP, 2025 | Average growth, 2021–2025 | Direct investment in, latest | Remittances, latest | Reserves incl. gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Africa | 6 | 275.7m | $1.00tn | 3.7% | $22.3bn | $60.8bn | $288.4bn |
| West Africa | 16 | 465.4m | $718.5bn | 4.2% | $19.6bn | $36.2bn | $64.0bn |
| East Africa | 18 | 512.2m | $621.1bn | 5.6% | $22.6bn | $23.9bn | $51.0bn |
| Central Africa | 9 | 219.5m | $348.2bn | 3.7% | $6.10bn | $4.10bn | $28.3bn |
| Southern Africa | 5 | 74.0m | $470.0bn | 2.0% | −$1.28bn | $1.84bn | $84.1bn |
| Africa | 54 | 1.55bn | $3.16tn | — | $69.3bn | $126.8bn | $515.8bn |
North Africa
Egypt, Algeria and Morocco account for most of the region's economy. Egypt and Morocco receive large remittances from workers in Europe and the Gulf, while Algeria and Libya depend on oil and gas exports.
| Country | Population | GDP | GDP per person | Growth | Inflation | Current account, % of GDP | Direct investment in | Remittances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 118.4m | $365.3bn | $3,086 | +4.4% | 14.1% | −3.8% | $15.4bn | $41.5bn |
| Algeria | 47.4m | $287.0bn | $6,051 | +3.8% | 1.4% | −8.8% | $1.54bn | $1.69bn |
| Morocco | 38.4m | $182.4bn | $4,672 | +4.6% | 0.7% | −2.5% | $3.32bn | $13.7bn |
| Sudan | 51.7m | $60.2bn | $1,165 | +3.1% | 138.8% (2022) | −8.5% | $0.00bn | $0.01bn |
| Tunisia | 12.3m | $57.5bn | $4,657 | +2.5% | 5.2% | −2.3% | $1.14bn | $3.88bn |
| Libya | 7.5m | $48.1bn | $6,449 | +13.4% | 1.8% | +4.2% (2023) | $0.83bn | — |
Direct investment and remittances, North Africa
$bn, latest year, largest economies.
West Africa
Nigeria is the largest economy. Eight countries in the region share the West African CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro. Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest cocoa producer and Ghana has long been second, and gold is a major export across the region.
| Country | Population | GDP | GDP per person | Growth | Inflation | Current account, % of GDP | Direct investment in | Remittances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 237.5m | $290.8bn | $1,224 | +4.0% | 23.0% | +4.8% | $4.01bn | $22.8bn |
| Ghana | 35.1m | $114.2bn | $3,257 | +6.0% | 14.2% | +8.2% | $1.91bn | $2.42bn |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 32.7m | $99.8bn | $3,050 | +6.5% | 0.1% | −4.5% (2024) | $2.03bn | $1.77bn (2024) |
| Senegal | 18.9m | $37.0bn | $1,955 | +6.7% | 1.5% | −19.8% (2023) | $0.04bn | $3.27bn (2023) |
| Mali | 25.2m | $30.1bn | $1,193 | +5.6% | 3.3% | −4.3% (2024) | $0.84bn | $1.07bn (2024) |
| Guinea | 15.1m | $28.3bn | $1,877 | +7.4% | 3.6% | −1.6% (2024) | $7.76bn | $0.62bn (2024) |
| Burkina Faso | 24.1m | $27.6bn | $1,148 | +5.3% | −0.6% | −4.0% (2024) | $0.31bn | $0.60bn (2024) |
| Benin | 14.8m | $24.6bn | $1,658 | +8.1% | 1.1% | −8.2% (2023) | $0.48bn | $0.34bn (2023) |
| Niger | 27.9m | $21.6bn | $775 | +7.0% | −4.5% | −6.1% (2024) | $0.26bn | $0.65bn (2024) |
| Togo | 8.6m | $11.9bn | $1,384 | +6.3% | 0.4% | −0.3% (2020) | $0.22bn | $0.65bn (2020) |
| Mauritania | 5.3m | $11.7bn | $2,198 | +4.0% | 1.5% | −9.6% (2024) | $0.63bn | $0.09bn (2024) |
| Sierra Leone | 8.8m | $7.50bn | $846 | +4.6% | 7.5% | −14.1% (2024) | $0.18bn | $0.32bn (2024) |
| Liberia | 5.7m | $5.20bn | $915 | +5.0% | 8.3% | +2.5% (2024) | $0.50bn | $1.02bn (2024) |
| Cabo Verde | 530k | $3.10bn | $5,796 | +6.3% | 2.3% | +3.6% | $0.15bn | $0.36bn |
| Gambia | 2.8m | $2.60bn | $919 | +5.9% | 11.6% (2024) | −2.9% | $0.27bn | $0.62bn |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2.2m | $2.50bn | $1,124 | +5.8% | 0.9% | −7.4% (2024) | $0.03bn | $0.22bn (2024) |
Direct investment and remittances, West Africa
$bn, latest year, largest economies.
East Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania are the largest economies. The group follows the UN definition, which includes Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar. Over 2021–2025 it was the fastest-growing part of Africa, at an average of 5.6% a year (weighted by GDP).
| Country | Population | GDP | GDP per person | Growth | Inflation | Current account, % of GDP | Direct investment in | Remittances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 57.5m | $135.9bn | $2,363 | +4.6% | 4.1% | −2.1% | $1.11bn | $5.11bn |
| Ethiopia | 135.5m | $126.4bn | $933 | +9.8% | 13.2% | −2.5% (2024) | $3.80bn | $7.14bn (2024) |
| Tanzania | 70.5m | $90.1bn | $1,319 | +5.9% | 3.3% | −3.0% (2024) | $1.72bn | $1.12bn (2024) |
| Uganda | 51.4m | $62.0bn | $1,206 | +6.3% | 3.6% | −5.2% | $3.36bn | $2.80bn |
| Zimbabwe | 16.9m | $51.2bn | $3,021 | +8.1% | 104.7% (2022) | +1.2% (2024) | $0.96bn | $3.51bn (2024) |
| Zambia | 21.9m | $28.9bn | $1,318 | +3.8% | 13.9% | −5.5% | $1.29bn | $0.40bn |
| Mozambique | 35.6m | $22.3bn | $627 | −0.5% | 4.4% | −14.2% | $5.76bn | $0.27bn |
| Madagascar | 32.7m | $19.6bn | $599 | +3.0% | 8.1% | −5.2% | $0.89bn | $0.62bn |
| Rwanda | 14.6m | $16.4bn | $1,124 | +9.4% | 5.9% | −12.0% (2024) | $0.97bn | $0.52bn (2024) |
| Mauritius | 1.2m | $16.2bn | $12,991 | +3.2% | 3.7% | −7.0% (2024) | $0.80bn | $0.29bn (2024) |
| Malawi | 22.2m | $14.9bn | $672 | +1.9% | 28.4% | −14.0% | $0.53bn | $0.31bn |
| Somalia | 19.6m | $13.0bn | $661 | +3.0% | — | — | $0.83bn | — |
| South Sudan | 12.2m | $12.0bn (2015) | $1,080 (2015) | −10.8% (2015) | 91.4% (2024) | +7.9% (2023) | $0.07bn | $1.18bn (2023) |
| Djibouti | 1.2m | $4.60bn | $3,906 | +6.5% | −0.3% | +14.7% (2024) | $0.15bn | $0.06bn (2024) |
| Burundi | 14.4m | $3.40bn | $234 | +4.2% | 34.1% | −13.7% | $0.04bn | $0.27bn |
| Seychelles | 120k | $2.40bn | $19,449 | +5.8% | 0.3% | −5.7% | $0.24bn | $0.01bn |
| Comoros | 880k | $1.80bn | $2,056 | +3.8% | 3.2% | −1.7% (2023) | $0.01bn | $0.31bn (2023) |
| Eritrea | 3.6m | — | — | — | — | — | $0.08bn | — |
Direct investment and remittances, East Africa
$bn, latest year, largest economies.
Central Africa
Angola, DR Congo and Cameroon are the largest economies. Oil and minerals, including DR Congo's copper and cobalt, account for most exports. Six countries share the Central African CFA franc, also pegged to the euro.
| Country | Population | GDP | GDP per person | Growth | Inflation | Current account, % of GDP | Direct investment in | Remittances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 39.0m | $122.2bn | $3,129 | +3.1% | 20.2% | +0.3% | $2.22bn | $0.05bn |
| DR Congo | 112.8m | $91.0bn | $807 | +5.8% | 2.9% (2016) | −4.3% | $1.87bn | $3.32bn |
| Cameroon | 29.9m | $58.9bn | $1,972 | +3.2% | 3.4% | −3.3% (2024) | $0.60bn | $0.69bn (2024) |
| Chad | 21.0m | $21.5bn | $1,022 | +5.6% | −3.9% | — | $0.00bn | — |
| Gabon | 2.6m | $21.4bn | $8,263 | +2.5% | 1.8% | +1.0% (2015) | $0.38bn | $0.02bn (2015) |
| Republic of the Congo | 6.5m | $16.3bn | $2,515 | +3.1% | 2.4% | +11.6% (2021) | $0.60bn | $0.04bn (2021) |
| Equatorial Guinea | 1.9m | $12.8bn | $6,615 | −5.8% | 2.9% (2024) | — | $0.29bn | — |
| Central African Republic | 5.5m | $3.10bn | $556 | +4.5% | 1.0% | — | $0.04bn | — |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 240k | $1.00bn | $4,084 | +1.0% | 11.0% | −9.3% | $0.10bn | $0.04bn |
Direct investment and remittances, Central Africa
$bn, latest year, largest economies.
Southern Africa
South Africa accounts for most of the region's economy. Lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia peg their currencies to the South African rand, and Botswana is a major diamond producer.
| Country | Population | GDP | GDP per person | Growth | Inflation | Current account, % of GDP | Direct investment in | Remittances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 64.8m | $427.2bn | $6,598 | +1.1% | 3.2% | −0.4% | −$2.16bn | $1.00bn |
| Botswana | 2.6m | $19.9bn | $7,778 | −0.7% | 2.7% | +2.9% | −$0.65bn | $0.16bn |
| Namibia | 3.1m | $15.1bn | $4,876 | +1.7% | 3.5% | −13.4% (2024) | $1.45bn | $0.10bn (2024) |
| Eswatini | 1.3m | $5.20bn | $4,108 | +4.2% | 2.6% (2019) | +2.4% | $0.05bn | $0.04bn |
| Lesotho | 2.4m | $2.60bn | $1,089 | +2.0% | 4.3% | +0.1% | $0.03bn | $0.54bn |
Direct investment and remittances, Southern Africa
$bn, latest year, largest economies.
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