Russia is the volume leader with 37.3M carats, nearly 1.5× Botswana’s 25.1M carats.
Botswana punches above its weight: though producing 33% fewer carats than Russia, its output value almost matches Russia's due to higher value per carat price.
Eight of the top 10 producers are African (Botswana, Angola, DR Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho).
Low-volume producers like Namibia (2.4M ct → $1.2B) highlight how smaller deposits can yield high-value diamonds.
Gabon imposes Africa’s highest international air travel tax at $297.70, followed closely by Sierra Leone at $294 and Nigeria at $180.
Libya charges the lowest air travel tax among the listed African countries at just $1.30, with other low-cost countries including Malawi ($5.00), Lesotho ($5.70), and Algeria ($9.80).
All of the 10 most expensive countries charge over $100 in departure taxes, suggesting a trend of high levies among a subset of African nations.
The gap between the highest and lowest air travel taxes in Africa exceeds $296, revealing significant disparities in passenger costs across the continent.
Zimbabwe has the highest benchmark interest rate in Africa at 35%, exceeding Ghana, the second highest, by 7% points.
Nigeria holds the third highest interest rate on the continent at 27.5%, just 0.5% points behind Ghana, signalling aggressive policy intervention.
Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt have interest rates above 25%, showing a regional pattern of tight monetary conditions.
There is a significant drop of over 5% points between Sierra Leone at 24.75% and Angola at 19.5%, marking a clear shift to lower-rate economies below the top tier.
Rwanda is performing relatively well in terms of governance and rule of law, leading sub-Saharan Africa for the third consecutive year with a score of 0.63 in the 2024 Rule of Law Index. Namibia (0.61) and Mauritius (0.60) closely follow, showcasing relatively stronger legal frameworks.
At the lower end, Nigeria, Congo, and Gabon score 0.40, highlighting persistent governance challenges.
Globally, Denmark tops the list of 142 countries, with a score of 0.90, while Venezuela ranks last at 0.26, emphasising the gap between SSA's highest performers and global leaders. This mix of progress and struggles illustrates the varied state of governance across the region.
Since the 2007/08 academic year, Nigeria has consistently held the top spot for the number of African international students in the US. Before this, Kenya and Egypt also led in certain periods.
This trend highlights the evolving landscape of African students pursuing education in the US over the decades.
From 1961 to 2022, Nigeria, Egypt, and Madagascar led Africa in rice production, supporting local economies and food security.
Nigeria peaked in 2017 with over 10 million tonnes, while Egypt and Madagascar also recorded strong years.
Since 2014, Nigeria has held the title of Africa's largest rice producer.
Nigeria was once a global leader in palm oil production, but it has been overtaken by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Colombia.
Indonesia, in particular, has seen a 34,018% increase in production since 1961, reaching 49.7 million tonnes by 2021.
In 2022, the US hosted a diverse African immigrant community, totaling over 2.75 million. Nigerians make up the largest group at 448,405 (16.3%), followed by Ethiopians (10.6%), Egyptians (8.3%), and Ghanaians (7.8%).
Inflation rate in Nigeria increased to 31.7% in February 2024. Nigeria has the 13th highest inflation rate out of 186 countries and territories as of February 2024.
The data showcases Argentina leading with 276%, followed by Lebanon and Syria. Seven of the top fifteen are African.
