AFRICA- Economic Development .... Report from World Bank 2020

 

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK 2020

Sub-Saharan Africa, home to more than 1 billion people, half of whom will be under 25 years old by 2050, is a diverse continent offering human and natural resources that have the potential to yield inclusive growth and eradicate poverty in the region, enabling Africans across the continent to live healthier and more prosperous lives. With the world’s largest free trade area and a 1.2 billion-person market, the continent is creating an entirely new development path, harnessing the potential of its resources and people.

The region is composed of low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries, 20 of which are fragile or conflict-affected. Africa also has 13 small states, characterized by a small population, limited human capital, and a confined land area.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 shock in Sub-Saharan Africa is severe. However, countries in the region are continuing to weather the storm. Economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have contracted by 2% in 2020, reflecting a slower-than-expected spread of the virus and lower COVID-19-related mortality in the region, strong agricultural growth, and a faster-than-expected recovery in commodity prices. Nevertheless, COVID-19 has plunged the region into its first recession in over 25 years, with activity contracting by nearly 5% on a per capita basis. It has also exacerbated public debt vulnerabilities, which are high and continue to rise in many countries. Vulnerable groups, such as the poor, informal sector workers, women, and youth, suffered disproportionately from reduced opportunities and unequal access to social safety nets. This situation could push up to 40 million people into extreme poverty, erasing at least five years of progress in fighting poverty.

In East and Southern Africa, the growth contraction in 2020 is estimated at –3%, 0.9 percentage point less than projected in October 2020, mostly driven by South Africa and Angola—its two largest economies. Disruptions in the tourism industry and lockdowns caused substantial slowdowns in Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, and the island nations. Mining dependent economies such as Mozambique and Zambia continued to experience output contractions in the second half of 2020. Growth in Western and Central Africa contracted by 1.1% in 2020, less than projected in October 2020 partly due to a less severe contraction in Nigeria, the subregion’s largest economy, in the second half of the year.  Real gross domestic product in the subregion is projected to grow by 2.1% in 2021 and 3.0% in 2022. Fragile countries in the region are expected to experience a strong decline in growth as COVID-19 (coronavirus) exacerbates the drivers of fragility.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s recovery is expected to be multi-speed, with significant variation across countries. Nigeria, South Africa, and Angola, the region’s three largest economies, are expected to return to growth in 2021, partly owing to higher commodity prices, but the recovery will remain sluggish. Growth is projected to rebound to 1.4% in Nigeria, 3% in South Africa, and 0.9% in Angola. Muted near-term growth prospects and slow vaccine rollout in the largest economies will weigh on the region’s outlook. Excluding Nigeria, South Africa, and Angola, activity is projected to expand at a more solid pace in the rest of the region with non-resource-intensive countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, and mining dependent economies, such as Botswana and Guinea, are expected to see robust growth in 2021 driven by a rebound in private consumption and investment as confidence strengthens and exports increase.

Faster progress on vaccine deployment along with credible policies to stimulate private investment would accelerate growth to 3.4% in 2021 and 4.5% in 2022 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Alleviating the debt burden will release resources for public investment in areas such as education, health, and infrastructure. Investments in human capital will help lower the risk of long-lasting damage from the pandemic, which may become apparent over the longer term, and can enhance competitiveness and productivity. The next 12 months will be a critical period for leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area, to deepen African countries’ integration into regional and global value chains. Reforms that deliver reliable electricity, including better functioning of public utilities, can power the manufacturing sector and the digital economy. Finally, reforms that address digital infrastructure gaps and make the digital economy more inclusive—ensuring affordability and building skills for all segments of society—are critical for improving connectivity, boosting digital technology adoption, and generating more and better jobs for men and women.

African Countries by population (2021)

Click on each country to view current estimates (live population clock), historical data, list of countries, and projected figures.

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#		Country (or dependency)	Population (2020)	Yearly Change	Net Change	Density (P/Km²)	Land Area (Km²)	Migrants (net)	Fertility rate Rate	Med. Age	Urban Pop %	World Share
1	Nigeria		206,139,589	2.58 %	5,175,990	226	910,770	-60,000	5.4	18	52 %	2.64 %
2	Ethiopia		114,963,588	2.57 %	2,884,858	115	1,000,000	30,000	4.3	19	21 %	1.47 %
3	Egypt		102,334,404	1.94 %	1,946,331	103	995,450	-38,033	3.3	25	43 %	1.31 %
4	DR Congo		89,561,403	3.19 %	2,770,836	40	2,267,050	23,861	6.0	17	46 %	1.15 %
5	South Africa		59,308,690	1.28 %	750,420	49	1,213,090	145,405	2.4	28	67 %	0.76 %
6	Tanzania		59,734,218	2.98 %	1,728,755	67	885,800	-40,076	4.9	18	37 %	0.77 %
7	Kenya		53,771,296	2.28 %	1,197,323	94	569,140	-10,000	3.5	20	28 %	0.69 %
8	Uganda		45,741,007	3.32 %	1,471,413	229	199,810	168,694	5.0	17	26 %	0.59 %
9	Algeria		43,851,044	1.85 %	797,990	18	2,381,740	-10,000	3.1	29	73 %	0.56 %
10	Sudan		43,849,260	2.42 %	1,036,022	25	1,765,048	-50,000	4.4	20	35 %	0.56 %
11	Morocco		36,910,560	1.20 %	438,791	83	446,300	-51,419	2.4	30	64 %	0.47 %
12	Angola		32,866,272	3.27 %	1,040,977	26	1,246,700	6,413	5.6	17	67 %	0.42 %
13	Ghana		31,072,940	2.15 %	655,084	137	227,540	-10,000	3.9	22	57 %	0.40 %
14	Mozambique		31,255,435	2.93 %	889,399	40	786,380	-5,000	4.9	18	38 %	0.40 %
15	Madagascar		27,691,018	2.68 %	721,711	48	581,795	-1,500	4.1	20	39 %	0.36 %
16	Cameroon		26,545,863	2.59 %	669,483	56	472,710	-4,800	4.6	19	56 %	0.34 %
17	Côte d'Ivoire		26,378,274	2.57 %	661,730	83	318,000	-8,000	4.7	19	51 %	0.34 %
18	Niger		24,206,644	3.84 %	895,929	19	1,266,700	4,000	7.0	15	17 %	0.31 %
19	Burkina Faso		20,903,273	2.86 %	581,895	76	273,600	-25,000	5.2	18	31 %	0.27 %
20	Mali		20,250,833	3.02 %	592,802	17	1,220,190	-40,000	5.9	16	44 %	0.26 %
21	Malawi		19,129,952	2.69 %	501,205	203	94,280	-16,053	4.3	18	18 %	0.25 %
22	Zambia		18,383,955	2.93 %	522,925	25	743,390	-8,000	4.7	18	45 %	0.24 %
23	Senegal		16,743,927	2.75 %	447,563	87	192,530	-20,000	4.7	19	49 %	0.21 %
24	Chad		16,425,864	3.00 %	478,988	13	1,259,200	2,000	5.8	17	23 %	0.21 %
25	Somalia		15,893,222	2.92 %	450,317	25	627,340	-40,000	6.1	17	47 %	0.20 %
26	Zimbabwe		14,862,924	1.48 %	217,456	38	386,850	-116,858	3.6	19	38 %	0.19 %
27	Guinea		13,132,795	2.83 %	361,549	53	245,720	-4,000	4.7	18	39 %	0.17 %
28	Rwanda		12,952,218	2.58 %	325,268	525	24,670	-9,000	4.1	20	18 %	0.17 %
29	Benin		12,123,200	2.73 %	322,049	108	112,760	-2,000	4.9	19	48 %	0.16 %
30	Tunisia		11,818,619	1.06 %	123,900	76	155,360	-4,000	2.2	33	70 %	0.15 %
31	Burundi		11,890,784	3.12 %	360,204	463	25,680	2,001	5.5	17	14 %	0.15 %
32	South Sudan		11,193,725	1.19 %	131,612	18	610,952	-174,200	4.7	19	25 %	0.14 %
33	Togo		8,278,724	2.43 %	196,358	152	54,390	-2,000	4.4	19	43 %	0.11 %
34	Sierra Leone		7,976,983	2.10 %	163,768	111	72,180	-4,200	4.3	19	43 %	0.10 %
35	Libya		6,871,292	1.38 %	93,840	4	1,759,540	-1,999	2.3	29	78 %	0.09 %
36	Congo		5,518,087	2.56 %	137,579	16	341,500	-4,000	4.5	19	70 %	0.07 %
37	Liberia		5,057,681	2.44 %	120,307	53	96,320	-5,000	4.4	19	53 %	0.06 %
38	Central African Republic		4,829,767	1.78 %	84,582	8	622,980	-40,000	4.8	18	43 %	0.06 %
39	Mauritania		4,649,658	2.74 %	123,962	5	1,030,700	5,000	4.6	20	57 %	0.06 %
40	Eritrea		3,546,421	1.41 %	49,304	35	101,000	-39,858	4.1	19	63 %	0.05 %
41	Namibia		2,540,905	1.86 %	46,375	3	823,290	-4,806	3.4	22	55 %	0.03 %
42	Gambia		2,416,668	2.94 %	68,962	239	10,120	-3,087	5.3	18	59 %	0.03 %
43	Botswana		2,351,627	2.08 %	47,930	4	566,730	3,000	2.9	24	73 %	0.03 %
44	Gabon		2,225,734	2.45 %	53,155	9	257,670	3,260	4.0	23	87 %	0.03 %
45	Lesotho		2,142,249	0.80 %	16,981	71	30,360	-10,047	3.2	24	31 %	0.03 %
46	Guinea-Bissau		1,968,001	2.45 %	47,079	70	28,120	-1,399	4.5	19	45 %	0.03 %
47	Equatorial Guinea		1,402,985	3.47 %	46,999	50	28,050	16,000	4.6	22	73 %	0.02 %
48	Mauritius		1,271,768	0.17 %	2,100	626	2,030	0	1.4	37	41 %	0.02 %
49	Eswatini		1,160,164	1.05 %	12,034	67	17,200	-8,353	3.0	21	30 %	0.01 %
50	Djibouti		988,000	1.48 %	14,440	43	23,180	900	2.8	27	79 %	0.01 %
51	Réunion		895,312	0.72 %	6,385	358	2,500	-1,256	2.3	36	100 %	0.01 %
52	Comoros		869,601	2.20 %	18,715	467	1,861	-2,000	4.2	20	29 %	0.01 %
53	Western Sahara		597,339	2.55 %	14,876	2	266,000	5,582	2.4	28	87 %	0.01 %
54	Cabo Verde		555,987	1.10 %	6,052	138	4,030	-1,342	2.3	28	68 %	0.01 %
55	Mayotte		272,815	2.50 %	6,665	728	375	0	3.7	20	46 %	0.00 %
56	Sao Tome & Principe		219,159	1.91 %	4,103	228	960	-1,680	4.4	19	74 %	0.00 %
57	Seychelles		98,347	0.62 %	608	214	460	-200	2.5	34	56 %	0.00 %
58	Saint Helena		6,077	0.30 %	18	16	390		N.A.	N.A.	27 %	0.00 %