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  • Crude oil exports, which made up 81% of Nigeria's export value in 2023 have increased in three consecutive years since 2021. After a 36% decline in 2020, exports increased by 53% in 2021, 46% in 2022, and 37% in 2023 to reach ₦29 trillion.

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    Every Nigerian president since 1999 left office with a higher dollar to naira exchange rate than when they took office. Will President Tinubu's tenure be the exception?

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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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    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.

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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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    Top ten African countries by estimated number of films produced annually

    The Nigerian movie industry, mainly financed via public or private funding and international grants, produces the most films in Africa, yearly. Nigeria produced more than double the number of films that the Ghanaian and Kenyan movie industries produce annually.

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  • 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.

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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.

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Other Insights
 
  • Seychelles is the tiniest country in Africa, covering only 452 km², smaller than the size of some global cities.
  • Island nations dominate the smallest group, with Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, and Cape Verde all under 5,000 km² each.
  • Gambia is the smallest mainland country, spanning 10,700 km², surrounded almost entirely by Senegal except its Atlantic coast.
  • Only 10 African countries have land areas under 30,000 km², with most being among the continent’s most densely populated.
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  • South Africa dominates with 41,100 millionaires, accounting for more than 1 in 3 African millionaires, far ahead of any other nation.
  • Egypt (14,800) and Morocco (7,500) round out the top three, highlighting North Africa’s wealth concentration.
  • Nigeria (7,200) and Kenya (6,800) confirm West and East Africa’s growing wealth hubs, though still far below South Africa.
  • Mauritius (4,800) and Seychelles (500) rank surprisingly high relative to population size, showing their role as finance and wealth management hubs.
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  • Samsung controls more than half of the South African smartphone market, more than all other brands combined.
  • Apple holds 17.61%, less than half of Samsung’s share, but remains the clear premium alternative.
  • Despite global challenges, Huawei captures 10.03%, placing third in the market.
  • Honor, Xiaomi, and Oppo collectively hold approximately 11.6%, while smaller brands like Tecno, Itel, and Nokia struggle below 2% each.
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  • Mauritius is the fastest-growing hub with a 63% surge in millionaires, highlighting its rising financial services sector and favourable investment climate.
  • Rwanda (+48%) and Morocco (+40%) also show strong upward trends, driven by economic diversification and political stability.
  • Nigeria (-47%), Angola (-36%), and Algeria (-23%) recorded the steepest declines, reflecting oil dependence, currency challenges, and political instability.
  • Africa overall saw a -5% dip, showing that while select countries are thriving, the continent’s wealth distribution has shifted unevenly.
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  • 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.
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  • 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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  • Mauritius leads Africa’s Peace Index with the lowest (best) score of 1.586, showing its stability and strong governance.
  • Southern Africa is well represented in the rankings with Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, and Zambia in the top 10.
  • West Africa also performs strongly, represented by The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Senegal, and Liberia.
  • The scores are tightly clustered (1.586–1.939), showing that Africa’s most peaceful states are relatively close in performance despite regional differences.
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  • Nigeria maintained a positive trade balance, with exports accounting for 57.7% against imports at 42.3%.
  • Oil and gas remain the backbone of Nigeria’s export dominance, shaping the overall surplus.
  • The import share reflects the country’s reliance on foreign goods, particularly refined petroleum, machinery, and food products.
  • Sustaining export strength while reducing import dependency remains key to Nigeria’s long-term economic resilience.
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  • Ghana’s debt interest payments remained below $200 million for nearly three decades, reflecting relatively low external borrowing.
  • From 2000 to 2010, payments rose moderately, reaching $300 million by 2010 as Ghana’s borrowing needs expanded.
  • Interest payments accelerated sharply, surpassing $1 billion in 2017 and peaking at $1.49 billion in 2022.
  • After years of growth, payments plunged to $780 million in 2023, suggesting debt restructuring, payment relief, or reduced new borrowing.
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  • Financial services dominate Nigeria’s digitally delivered exports, contributing $1.15bn (over 74%).
  • Telecommunications ($184m) and insurance & pension services ($147m) follow, though far smaller.
  • Computer, information, and IP services registered almost no exports, highlighting untapped digital potential.
  • Nigeria’s digital exports remain highly concentrated in finance, leaving other sub-sectors underdeveloped.
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  • Africa’s renewable energy capacity more than doubled between 2015 (34.6 GW) and 2024 (70 GW).
  • Despite this growth, Africa’s global share fell from 1.87% in 2015 to 1.57% in 2024.
  • The decline in global share highlights that other regions are expanding renewable energy capacity much faster than Africa.
  • Between 2020 and 2024 alone, Africa added 18.5 GW of renewable energy capacity.
  • The sharpest annual increase occurred between 2022 and 2023, with capacity rising by 6.4 GW.
  • The percentage share of global renewable energy for Africa has consistently trended downward since 2018.
  • Africa’s renewable energy growth, while positive, is not yet keeping pace with the global energy transition.
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  • The cost of a 64-page Nigerian passport increased from ₦70,000 before September 2024 to ₦200,000 by September 2025.
  • A 32-page passport rose from ₦35,000 before September 2024 to ₦100,000 by September 2025.
  • The minimum wage only rose once within this period—from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 in September 2024.
  • In 2025, the 64-page passport costs nearly three times the minimum wage.
  • Affording a passport now requires significantly higher financial sacrifice, particularly for low-income earners.
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