Africa's reserves, peaking at $560 billion in 2013, declined to $397 billion in 2022

  • In 2013, Africa’s total reserves stood at $560 billion, the highest recorded in the past decade.
  • A steady decline followed, with reserves dropping to $402 billion by 2016.
  • A moderate recovery began in 2017 at $426 billion, stabilising around $400 billion in recent years.
  • As of 2022, Africa’s total reserves were estimated at $397 billion.
  • Despite fluctuations, Africa’s reserves have hovered around $400 billion since 2019.

Africa’s reserves, including monetary gold, have experienced fluctuations over the past decade. In 2013, Africa’s total reserves peaked at $560 billion, the highest recorded in the past decade. However, this period of strength was followed by a steady decline, with reserves falling to $402 billion by 2016. The continent then saw a moderate recovery, beginning in 2017 when reserves rose to $426 billion. This recovery has since stabilised around the $400 billion mark, with 2022 marking a slight dip to $397 billion. This recent dip highlights the ongoing volatility, underscoring the need for Africa to diversify its economic strategies. Despite the fluctuations, Africa’s reserves have remained relatively steady, hovering around $400 billion since 2019.

Source:

World Bank

Period:

2013–2022
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
South Africa led Africa with $6.25bn of Chinese FDI stock in 2024, over 14% of the continent's total
  • South Africa held the largest Chinese FDI stock in Africa at $6.25 billion in 2024.
  • South Africa, DR Congo and Nigeria held 30% of Africa’s Chinese FDI stock.
  • The top 10 countries accounted for 64% of the continent’s total Chinese FDI stock.
  • Niger led the remaining top 10 countries with $2.45 billion, followed by Mozambique at $2.28 billion.
China's cumulative investment in Africa has stalled since peaking at $46.1bn in 2018
  • China's FDI stock in Africa rose 94-fold, from $491 million in 2003 to $46.1 billion in 2018.
  • By 2024, the stock had recovered to $43.8 billion, still 5% below its 2018 peak.
  • Africa accounted for just 1.4% of China's $3.14 trillion global FDI stock in 2024.
  • Nigeria's Chinese FDI stock fell from a 2017 peak of $2.86 billion to $2.72 billion in 2024.
  • African countries recorded a net $2.31 billion decline in Chinese FDI stock between 2018 and 2024.
  • Niger recorded the largest increase, from $758 million in 2018 to $2.45 billion in 2024.
  • Zambia recorded the largest decline, from $3.52 billion in 2018 to $1.70 billion in 2024.
Six Nigerian states raised more revenue through MDAs than taxes in 2025
  • Six states generated about ₦656 billion through MDAs in 2025, nearly half of all MDA revenue.
  • The number of states where MDAs accounted for over half of IGR fell from seven in 2024 to six in 2025.
  • Enugu’s MDA share rose from 82.9% in 2024 to 87.3% in 2025, widening its lead.
  • Kwara, Katsina and Osun recorded MDA shares of 61.6%, 60.1% and 58.5%, respectively.
Lagos, Rivers and the FCT generated 63.5% of state-level PAYE in 2025
  • Lagos, Rivers and the FCT collected 63.5% of state-level PAYE in 2025.
  • Lagos collected ₦993.3 billion in PAYE, more than the next five jurisdictions combined.
  • The top 10 jurisdictions accounted for 81.5% of ₦2.636 trillion in total PAYE.
  • The bottom five jurisdictions collected ₦47.0 billion combined, less than 2% of the total.
  • Delta collected ₦139.7 billion, less than half of the FCT’s ₦320.1 billion.
Arts & entertainment recorded the highest GDP growth in H1 2026
  • Nigeria’s economy grew 4.16% in H1 2026, but growth was uneven across sectors.
  • Arts and entertainment grew fastest at 11.5%, followed by water and waste management (10.9%) and information and communication (10.3%).
  • Agriculture, which accounts for about a quarter of GDP, grew 3.8%, below the headline rate.
  • Trade and real estate also lagged, growing 2.2% and 3.0%, respectively.
  • Electricity and gas was the biggest drag, contracting 11.6%, while Other Services fell 1.4%.
Year-on-year change in Nigeria's electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply GDP
  • Electricity, gas and related supply was Nigeria’s worst-performing broad economic activity in H1 2026.
  • Sector GDP fell 11.6% year-on-year, from ₦800.2bn to ₦707.1bn.
  • Output fell below H1 2024 levels, when the sector recorded ₦708.5bn.
  • Only one other broad activity contracted: Other Services, which fell 1.4%.
  • The sector contributed just 0.7% of Nigeria’s real GDP on average over the period shown.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved