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%.
Half of the top 10 African countries with significant gold reserves come from North Africa, with Algeria leading with 174 tonnes. Egypt and South Africa come in second and third with 126 tonnes and 125 tonnes, respectively. Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Libya hold the most significant gold reserves.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
South Africa’s outstanding debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) decreased from SDR 3.05 billion in March 2023 to SDR 762.8 million by March 2025.
The debt level remained unchanged at SDR 3.05 billion through the first three quarters of 2023.
Starting in December 2023, South Africa began making consistent quarterly repayments of SDR 381.4 million.
This trend demonstrates steady progress in debt reduction and a strengthened commitment to fiscal discipline.
The country is potentially on track for full repayment of its debt by the end of 2025.
Between 2016 and 2020, Kenya's debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined steadily by 59%, from SDR 609.8 million to SDR 249.9 million.
This downward trend reversed dramatically after 2020, with public debt rising to SDR 3.02 billion by March 2025.
The most significant annual increase occurred between 2020 and 2021, when debt jumped by 178%.
The lowest recorded debt level during the study period was in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it fell to approximately SDR 250 million.
Kenya’s IMF debt grew more than elevenfold (1,109%) from its 2020 low to its 2025 peak.
Djibouti’s inflation reached a peak in 2022, with 5.18%, the highest in the past decade.
The lowest inflation rate occurred in 2015, with a negative value of -0.85%.
From 2014 to 2023, Djibouti experienced fluctuating inflation, with increases in 2016, 2019, and 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023, inflation decreased from 5.18% to 1.50%.
The year 2018 saw the lowest inflation among positive rates, with a modest 0.15%.
The overall trend shows periodic inflation spikes, particularly in 2016, 2019, and 2022, while other years maintained relatively stable or lower inflation.
India tops the list with 651.6 million people offline — almost five times Nigeria’s number, but a smaller percentage (44.7%) of its population.
China has 311.9 million unconnected people, but that’s only 22% of its population.
With 78.7% of its population offline (105.2M people), Ethiopia has the lowest internet penetration among the top countries listed.
Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan all have over 50% of their populations unconnected.
Despite their smaller populations, over 70% of people in both Tanzania and Uganda remain offline.
While Nigeria is a regional tech hub, it still has over 128 million people offline, pointing to a major disconnect between urban tech growth and rural internet access.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest mobile data usage globally, at 6.7 GB/month, which is less than one-third of the global average.
India, Nepal, and Bhutan top the global chart with the highest data consumption at 36 GB/month, signalling deep mobile integration in daily life.
Gulf Cooperation Council countries follow closely with 31.9 GB/month.
Western Europe and North America share the same high usage rate of 25.8 GB/month, indicating mature digital economies with consistent connectivity.
Latin America also lags, though still more than twice ahead of Sub-Saharan Africa at 15.2 GB/month.
The Middle East and North Africa surpass the global average too, at 22.7 GB/month, further highlighting the unique lag of Sub-Saharan Africa in mobile data use.
Alimosho leads by far with 1,120,776 households—more than 400,000 households ahead of second-placed Oshodi Isolo (639,866).
Oshodi Isolo, Ikeja, and Ojo each have over 390,000 households, positioning them as Lagos’ other major residential hubs.
Lagos Island, despite its popularity and commercial relevance, has the fewest households at just 27,199.
Ibeju-Lekki, often seen as a fast-developing area, currently has only 71,496 households, highlighting its future potential.
Mushin, Surulere, and Ifako Ijaiye all have over 280,000 households each, forming a mid-tier residential cluster worth noting for service providers and real estate developers.
Coastal and outer LGAs like Badagry and Epe still reflect moderate household numbers, potentially constrained by infrastructure and distance from central business districts.
The gap between top and bottom LGAs is wide, showing Lagos’ uneven urban spread and pointing to both opportunities and challenges in housing development, planning, and equitable service delivery.