Burundi and Mozambique consistently rank lowest in African worker productivity since 1991

  • The same countries—Burundi, Malawi, DR Congo, Mozambique, Niger, Liberia, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Chad, and Ethiopia—consistently occupy the bottom ranks over the years.
  • These countries remain far below the continent's average, often with GDP per person employed under $5,000 even in recent years.
  • Progress is marginal: while some, like Ethiopia and Mozambique, show slow growth, many fluctuate or even regress across periods.
  • Structural economic weaknesses, conflict, and low industrialisation seem to persist across the bottom group.

The bottom 10 African countries by GDP per person employed have demonstrated a persistent pattern of economic underperformance in 33 years since 1991.

Countries like Burundi, Malawi, and DR Congo have remained at the lowest end of the scale for over three decades, rarely crossing the $3,000 mark in GDP per person employed. While nations such as Ethiopia and Mozambique show incremental improvement—climbing from near or below $2,000 in the 1990s to the $4,000–$6,000 range recently—the overall trajectory across this group reflects chronic economic stagnation.

Source:

World Bank - World Development Indicators

Period:

1991-2023
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