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  • Only 8% of South Sudan's population had access to electricity as of 2021, representing Africa's lowest percentage. Although eight countries boasted between 90% and 100% access to electricity, more than 50% of the population of 24 other countries were without electricity.

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    Since 2011, over ₦32.8 trillion has gone to Nigeria’s state governors from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). States from the South East have received ₦3.3 trillion combined, the least nationwide.

     

    This fund allocation is to ensure that all levels of government have the necessary funds to meet their financial obligations and to provide public services.

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  • A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.

    These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.

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    Africa's sanitation crisis is alarming, with 17 of the top 20 countries having the highest open defecation rates.

    Eritrea (67%), Niger (65%), and Chad (63%) lead, putting millions at risk of disease.

    Even Nigeria, the most populous African country, has 18% of its population practising it.

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  • The FAAC's revenue distribution from 2017 to August 2023 highlights the dominance of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa states in allocations. Despite Lagos' economic prominence, it ranked fifth. Here is the distribution of revenue among states between 2017 and August 2023.

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    Nigeria was the seventh most populous nation in the world in 2020, with 206.1 million people. Projected to reach a population of 401.3 million by 2050, Nigeria will rank third after India (1st) and China (2nd). According to Institut national d'études démographiques' projections, Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Egypt, Tanzania, and Kenya will be among the world’s top 20 most populous countries by 2050.

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  • africas-imports-by-country-2022-65bcdbd921bcd

    African countries imported products worth $694 billion in 2022, with South Africa, the continent's leading importer, bringing in products worth $111.9 billion, representing 16.1% of the total. Egypt followed with $79.7 billion, constituting 11.5%.

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  • Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
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  • A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.

    These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.

    See more

Other Insights
 
  • Cape Verde attracted no foreign direct investment during the early 1990s, signalling limited investor interest at the time.
  • FDI inflows skyrocketed from $130M in 2006 to an all-time high of $170M in 2008, before stabilising above $100M for most of the 2010s.
  • The country experienced large swings, ranging from a high of $150M (2014) to lows of $50M (2020).
  • Despite recovering to $130M in 2023, inflows dropped sharply to $60M in 2024, the weakest figure in over a decade.
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  • Aliko Dangote of Nigeria is the richest Black billionaire globally, with more than double the wealth of the next African on the list.
  • Six of the top 10 billionaires are American, led by David Steward ($11.4B) and Robert F. Smith ($10.8B).
  • Nigeria is the only African country with multiple names: Dangote ($23.9B), Mike Adenuga ($6.8B), and Abdulsamad Rabiu ($5.1B).
  • Fortunes span industries from cement, oil, and telecoms in Africa to tech, investment, sports, and entertainment in the US.
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  • Egypt and South Africa dominate Africa’s space presence, with 14 and 13 satellites respectively, accounting for nearly one-third of the continent’s total.
  • Nigeria (7), Algeria (6), and Morocco (5) form the next tier, highlighting North and West Africa as emerging hubs in satellite development.
  • The majority of other African countries with satellites, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Djibouti and Angola, have two satellites each.
  • Out of 54 African nations, only 18 have any satellites in orbit, underscoring the vast disparity in space investment and technological capacity across the continent.
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  • 446 Ghanaian scholars are in the US as of the 2023/24 academic session, making up 9.5% of the total number of African scholars in the US.
  • In the 2000/01 academic session, Ghana was the 7th leading source of African scholars with only 75 Ghanaian scholars in the US.
  • Nearly 1 in African scholars in the US is a Ghanaian.
  • Ghana scholarly population in the US have grown by 497%.
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  • Black River, Mauritius, saw the fastest growth in millionaires: more than 105% over 10 years, adding about 560 new millionaires.
  • Marrakech, Morocco, grew by 67%, gaining roughly 680 millionaires from tourism and luxury real estate.
  • Whale Coast, South Africa, added around 600 millionaires with 50% growth, driven by lifestyle migration.
  • Cape Winelands, South Africa, gained about 1,100 millionaires, growing 42% over the decade.
  • Cape Town grew more modestly at 33%, but had the largest absolute gain—over 2,100 millionaires—reaching 8,500 total.
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  • US imports from Africa jumped 24% to $23.4 billion in H1 2025 despite tariffs.
  • Egypt led gains, doubling its surplus with the US to $2.73 billion.
  • Nigeria swung into a $576 million surplus, reversing last year’s deficit.
  • South Africa’s deficit with the US nearly doubled to $6.32 billion, dragging the overall balance.
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  • Africa’s population grew by 580.4%, from 228M in 1950 to 1.6B in 2025, making it the fastest-growing continent.
  • Asia remains the most populated continent, reaching 4.8B people in 2025, up from 1.4B in 1950.
  • Europe’s growth has been the slowest, at just 35.6%, rising from 549M to 744M.
  • Latin America & the Caribbean grew by 298%, from 168M to 668M.
  • North America more than doubled its population, growing by 130.7% from 168M to 388M.
  • Oceania saw a 270% increase, though it remains the least populated continent at 47M people.
  • Africa’s population is now more than double Europe’s, a major demographic shift compared to 1950.
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  • Morocco’s GDP per capita has shown a fluctuating pattern in the last 25 years, with periods of steady growth and also fall.
  • The years 2003–2008 stand out as a high-growth phase, with GDP per capita rising rapidly from $1,941.9 to $3,183.2.
  • In 2021, a dramatic 15.9% rebound took GDP per capita up to $3,785.9.
  • In 2024, nominal GDP per capita stood at $3,993.4.
  • The last 25 years depict a more than twofold increase in Morocco’s GDP per capita, moving from $1,499.1 to $3,993.4.
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  • Egypt remained the lead African country with the highest number of international scholars in the US, with 942 recorded in the 2023/2024 academic session.
  • As of the 2023/2024 academic session, 4,679 international scholars in the United States of America are from Africa.
  • A total of 931 international scholars in the US as of the same session are from Nigeria.
  • Africa produced 4.2% of the international scholars in the US for the session under review.
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  • Nigeria has been the second leading source of African scholars in the US since 2008/09 to 2023/24, after overtaking South Africa.
  • By the 2023/24 academic session, the number of Nigerian scholars in the US reached 931.
  • Given past trends, it’s not unrealistic to predict that Nigeria could surpass Egypt in the near future, just as it did South Africa.
  • Approximately 20% of the African scholars in the US are Nigerians.
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  • Only 37 countries produced bio-diesel in 2023.
  • No African country produced bio-diesel.
  • The US remained the dominant producer of bio-diesel with 15.25 million metric tons produced in 2023, which is 36% of the total quantity produced globally.
  • Germany was the top exporter of bio diesel with 2.18 million metric tons.
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  • Nigeria leads Africa with 238 million people in July 2025.
  • Namibia, though the second largest in the South, has only 3 million people.
  • In Eastern Africa, Ethiopia (135M) and Tanzania (71M) dominate.
  • Egypt (118M) and Sudan (52M) are Northern Africa’s population leaders.
  • South Africa (65M) is Southern Africa’s most populous country, far ahead of Namibia.
  • In West Africa, Nigeria (238M) and Ghana (35M) are the most populous, showing a wide gap within the region.
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  • The young-to-old dependency ratio stands at 14:1, showing that youth dependency overwhelmingly drives the total ratio.
  • The total dependency ratio declined from 88.2% in 1976 to 78.8% in 2024, showing slow but steady improvement.
  • The youth dependency ratio has dropped from 82.2% to 73.3% over the same period.
  • The old-age dependency ratio remained almost flat, averaging around 5–6% for nearly 50 years.
  • The highest total dependency ratio was 95.0% in 1988.
  • The ratio’s slight downward trend after 2012 reflects a growing working-age population entering the labour market.
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  • Oil exports continued to dominate, averaging over 88% of total exports in 2024 and remaining above 81% in the first half of 2025.
  • Non-oil exports rose gradually, from a low of 6.9% (February 2024) to a high of 18.1% (January 2025).
  • Peaks in non-oil export contributions occurred in July 2024 (16.4%) and January–April 2025 (13–18%), indicating progress toward diversification.
  • Total exports remained heavily oil-driven, though sustained double-digit non-oil shares in late 2024 and early 2025 show a slow shift.
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  • Non-oil exports rose to 14.3% of total exports in 2025, up from 8.7% in 2023.
  • Oil exports still represent 85.7% of total exports in 2025.
  • The non-oil share reached 13.1% in 2019 before dipping and rebounding by 2025.
  • Nigeria’s total exports expanded from ₦9.6 trillion in 2015 to ₦43.3 trillion in H1 2025, showing strong value growth.
  • The lowest non-oil share in the decade occurred in 2016 (4%), reflecting heavy oil dependence.
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  • Urban electricity access has remained between 80% and 89% since 1990, never crossing to 90%.
  • The inability to achieve universal access suggests that infrastructure expansion has struggled to keep pace with rapid urbanisation and population growth.
  • Periodic dips in access, such as in 2010 and 2015, point to challenges in maintaining consistent electricity supply rather than just extending connections.
  • Insufficient generation, outdated grids, and policy inefficiencies have constrained Nigeria’s ability to deliver reliable and universal electricity access even in its urban centres.
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  • Rural electricity access increased from just 4% in 1990 to about 33% in 2023, showing gradual progress over three decades.
  • The data reveals irregular jumps in certain years—such as 2003, 2011, and 2016—likely tied to temporary electrification programmes or revised data estimates. D
  • espite improvements, nearly two-thirds of rural Nigerians still lack electricity, underscoring a wide disparity in energy access across regions.
  • The slow rate of expansion highlights ongoing issues with investment, grid extension, and maintenance that continue to limit rural electrification efforts.
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  • Manufacturing records the highest monthly revenue at ₦8.27m, nearly double that of the next sector.
  • Healthcare (₦5.02m) and Transportation (₦3.70m) follow, reflecting essential service demand.
  • Industries like Marketing & Advertising (₦191k), Food & Beverages (₦320k), and Education (₦440k) earn significantly less on average.
  • The difference between top earners (Manufacturing, Healthcare) and bottom sectors highlights a stark inequality in industry.
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