Nigeria and South Africa have been among Africa’s top three economies since 1960

Over the past six decades, African economies have experienced both rapid growth and severe contractions.

Nigeria and South Africa, often considered the continent’s economic heavyweights, have consistently ranked among Africa's top three economies since 1960.

North African Libya, Algeria and Egypt have also been in the top three in the period.

As of 2023, Egypt led the continent's GDP rankings.

Source:

World Bank

Period:

1960 - 2023
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  • 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%).
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  • 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.
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  • The sector contributed just 0.7% of Nigeria’s real GDP on average over the period shown.

Ethiopia achieved Africa’s fastest growth in real GDP per person over the 25 years to 2025
  • Ethiopia recorded Africa's fastest real GDP per capita growth between 2000 and 2025.
  • Rwanda ranked second, while Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Djibouti completed the top five.
  • Ethiopia's real GDP per capita rose 322%, from $910 to $3,843.
  • Mauritius recorded Africa's largest absolute gain in real GDP per capita.
  • Nigeria ranked 15th, with real GDP per capita increasing 76.7%.

Three African countries are projected to have debt exceeding their GDP in 2026
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  • Senegal and Mozambique join Sudan among countries with debt-to-GDP ratios above 100%.
  • Africa’s average government debt-to-GDP ratio is projected at 60.7% in 2026.
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Mauritius has the strongest productive capacity in Africa — ahead of Seychelles and South Africa
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  • Nigeria ranks much lower at 167th globally, with a score of 30.68, despite being one of Africa’s largest economies.
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Obasanjo led Nigeria's biggest GDP per capita rise at 268% in 8 years
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