Current account balance (credit less debit), Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition (BPM6)) by country
Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook (REO) provides information on recent economic developments and prospects for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Data for the REO for sub-Saharan Africa are prepared in conjunction with the semi-annual World Economic Outlook (WEO) exercises, spring and fall.
What the numbers show
Current account balance (credit less debit), Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition (BPM6)) is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 12.99 in Eritrea; the lowest is -39.6 in Mozambique.
The median across all reporting countries is -2.9, and the mean is -3.31.
Over the past decade 29 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Zimbabwe (up 497.3%), and the largest decrease in Seychelles (down 2,082.9%).
Current account balance (credit less debit), Percent of GDP (Balance): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrea | 12.99 | 2019 | up 214.7% | volatile |
| 2 | Ghana | 9.48 | 2027 | up 385.9% | volatile |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | 8.43 | 2027 | up 267.5% | volatile |
| 4 | South Sudan | 4.85 | 2027 | down 52.9% | volatile |
| 5 | Zimbabwe | 3.47 | 2027 | up 497.3% | volatile |
| 6 | Nigeria | 3.12 | 2027 | up 21.7% | volatile |
| 7 | Zambia | 1.94 | 2027 | up 215.5% | volatile |
| 8 | Mali | 1.57 | 2027 | up 125.7% | volatile |
| 9 | Angola | 1.02 | 2027 | up 328.0% | volatile |
| 10 | Chad | 0.3151 | 2027 | up 105.5% | volatile |
| 11 | Guinea | 0.0803 | 2027 | up 101.2% | volatile |
| 12 | Eswatini | -0.4966 | 2027 | down 108.1% | volatile |
| 13 | Cape Verde | -1.23 | 2027 | up 82.2% | volatile |
| 14 | South Africa | -1.39 | 2027 | up 41.2% | volatile |
| 15 | Botswana | -1.42 | 2027 | down 125.4% | volatile |
| 16 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | -1.61 | 2027 | up 51.5% | volatile |
| 17 | Ethiopia | -1.86 | 2027 | up 78.0% | volatile |
| 18 | Tanzania, United Republic of | -2.12 | 2027 | up 23.0% | volatile |
| 19 | Lesotho | -2.31 | 2027 | up 67.1% | volatile |
| 20 | Equatorial Guinea | -2.39 | 2027 | up 69.5% | volatile |
| 21 | Uganda | -2.73 | 2027 | up 42.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Togo | -2.77 | 2027 | down 83.3% | volatile |
| 23 | Sierra Leone | -2.9 | 2027 | up 75.2% | volatile |
| 24 | Côte d'Ivoire | -3.1 | 2027 | down 55.0% | volatile |
| 25 | Central African Republic | -3.6 | 2027 | up 46.9% | rising |
| 26 | Kenya | -3.73 | 2027 | up 33.2% | volatile |
| 27 | Niger | -3.95 | 2027 | up 65.3% | falling |
| 28 | Gambia | -4.11 | 2027 | up 44.3% | falling |
| 29 | Comoros | -4.4 | 2027 | down 95.6% | volatile |
| 30 | Benin | -4.86 | 2027 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 31 | Guinea-Bissau | -5.11 | 2027 | down 2,041.3% | volatile |
| 32 | Mauritius | -5.12 | 2027 | down 14.6% | volatile |
| 33 | Sao Tome and Principe | -5.12 | 2027 | up 62.8% | volatile |
| 34 | Burundi | -5.28 | 2027 | up 55.2% | volatile |
| 35 | Gabon | -5.46 | 2027 | down 673.6% | volatile |
| 36 | Seychelles | -5.56 | 2027 | down 2,082.9% | volatile |
| 37 | Cameroon | -5.79 | 2027 | down 120.0% | falling |
| 38 | Senegal | -5.8 | 2027 | up 20.3% | volatile |
| 39 | Congo | -5.83 | 2027 | up 9.4% | volatile |
| 40 | Madagascar | -6.63 | 2027 | down 1,472.5% | volatile |
| 41 | Liberia | -11.1 | 2027 | up 48.5% | volatile |
| 42 | Rwanda | -11.7 | 2027 | down 22.5% | falling |
| 43 | Malawi | -13.43 | 2027 | up 13.5% | falling |
| 44 | Namibia | -13.64 | 2027 | down 208.2% | volatile |
| 45 | Mozambique | -39.6 | 2027 | down 103.2% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) 1.84
- SSA oil-exporting countries 1.06
- SSA middle-income countries -0.2983
- Fragile and Conflict-affected States (FCS) -0.3479
- Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) -1.08
- SSA middle-income countries excluding South Africa and Nigeria -1.2
- SSA oil-exporting countries excluding Nigeria -1.49
- Southern African Customs Union (SACU) -1.8
- West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) -1.83
- SSA oil-importing countries -1.89
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding Nigeria and South Africa -1.96
- SSA oil-importing countries excluding South Africa -2.07
- Southern African Development Community (SADC) -2.22
- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) -2.54
- CFA franc zone -2.66
- SSA low-income countries -2.77
- East African Community (EAC) -3.49
- SSA low-income countries excluding countries in fragile situations -3.95
- Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) -4.32
About this data
Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook (REO) provides information on recent economic developments and prospects for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Data for the REO for sub-Saharan Africa are prepared in conjunction with the semi-annual World Economic Outlook (WEO) exercises, spring and fall.