Merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise exports to high-income economies was 48.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa is 48.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 91.5% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 43.1%, in 2018.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 89.7% | — |
| 1961 | 89.8% | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 88.2% | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 88.9% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 85.8% | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 84.4% | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 87.8% | +4.1% |
| 1967 | 89.2% | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 87.8% | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 86.5% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 85.9% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 85.4% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 83.4% | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 84.5% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 88.8% | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 89.4% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 91.5% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 90.7% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 90.2% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 91.0% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 83.2% | -8.6% |
| 1981 | 85.9% | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 87.8% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 88.1% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 88.6% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 88.2% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 86.4% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 86.8% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 85.5% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 85.8% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 85.2% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 83.5% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 83.9% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 80.6% | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 79.8% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 78.1% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 77.3% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 77.1% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 75.1% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 71.7% | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 57.5% | -19.8% |
| 2001 | 57.6% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 57.0% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 57.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 59.4% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 59.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 59.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 58.5% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 57.8% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 54.1% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 52.6% | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 51.7% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 48.4% | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 46.9% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 47.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 46.8% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 47.1% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.0% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 43.1% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 44.0% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 46.9% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 48.0% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 49.3% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 48.2% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 87.8% | 84.4% | 89.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 88.1% | 83.4% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 86.6% | 83.2% | 88.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.2% | 71.7% | 85.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.8% | 54.1% | 59.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.3% | 43.1% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.1% | 46.9% | 49.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 501.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 368.33 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2201 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.24 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Merchandise exports to high-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa was 48.2% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports to high-income economies recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 91.5% in 1976.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports to high-income economies recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1% in 2018.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for merchandise exports to high-income economies?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports to high-income economies rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Merchandise exports to high-income economies are the sum of merchandise exports from the reporting economy to high-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.