India vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Total reserves in months of imports
Total reserves in months of imports over time
- India
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
India currently reports 7.88 against 6.46 in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 1.42.
That makes India's figure about 1.2 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1977 it was India ahead.
India ranks 29th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 29th of 179 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, India averaged higher in 5 and Sub-Saharan Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.79 | 3.2 | 7.59 | India |
| 1980s | 5.43 | 3.73 | 1.7 | India |
| 1990s | 4.78 | 8.8 | 4.02 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2000s | 9.36 | 7.06 | 2.3 | India |
| 2010s | 7.23 | 5.03 | 2.19 | India |
| 2020s | 8.86 | 5.42 | 3.44 | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves in months of imports, India or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- India, at 7.88 against 6.46 in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total reserves in months of imports between India and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 1.42, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2025.
- How do India and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for total reserves in months of imports?
- India ranks 29th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 29th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Total reserves in months of imports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].